Statuette, terracotta, of 'The Genius of Painting', by (Edward) Alfred (Briscoe) Drury, England, 1886

The terracotta statuette is an allegorical representation of Painting, depicted as a female figure in a flowing robe revealing her left breast. Bare-footed, she stands on stylised clouds which overflow a simple socle. She holds in her left hand a panel showing the head of Rubens; her right is poised as if to hold a brush or pen (perhaps missing). A putto with an abundant garland of flowers hovers against her left leg holding in his right hand a long feather or quill, which he may be proffering to her. The head of Rubens is taken from the artist's painted self-portrait in the Royal Collection at Windsor.

This is one of Drury's earliest known works: he had first exhibited at the Royal Academy in the previous year, 1885.
The French influence on this figure is striking, and typical of Drury's early works. Drury trained at the National Art Training School (later the Royal College of Art) under Jules Dalou and then worked as Dalou's assistant in Paris from 1881 - 1885. Dalou was working on the figures for the Monument to the Third Republic from 1881 to 1889. The robe of the crowning figure of this group, and the head of the female figure on the left at the base are particularly close to the corresponding features on the present statuette.

Included in Christie's Nineteenth Century Sale, London, 29 September 1988, lot 272. Purchased from Richard Coats, London, in 1991 for £1500.

Alfred Drury is also known as Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury.

Drury trained at the National Art Training School (later the Royal College of Art) under Jules Dalou and then worked as Dalou's assistant in Paris. This early work, representing an allegory of Painting, made soon after his return to London in 1886, demonstrates the French sculptor's influence in its naturalistic handling of form. The panel held by the figure shows a self-portrait of Rubens.

A.4-1991