The Age of Innocence
Bust
1897 (made)
1897 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The model for this bust was Gracie Doncaster, the daughter of one of Drury's friends. The bust itself is considered by Benedict Read to be one of the 'major icons' of the late 19th century English movement known as the 'New Sculpture'.
The signature and date are incised into the surface of the plaster after casting had taken place, suggesting that it was produced in 1897, probably from an original clay or terracotta bust now lost. The bust is likely to have been the sculptor's plaster model, probably used in the production of subsequent closely related versions: it is known to have been reproduced in marble and bronze. Versions have appeared in numerous sales. Bronze versions are also held in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, the Manchester City Art Gallery and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, although this version is significantly larger than most of the other known versions in bronze. Later reworked examples in marble are in the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, and in the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery; a further version was formerly in the Luxembourg Museum, Paris.
A bronze was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1897, and it has been suggested that this was the version sold by Phillips on 23 September 1997 (signed and dated 1896). The date of that bronze, a year earlier than the date on this piece, would suggest that Drury had to make another model.
The signature and date are incised into the surface of the plaster after casting had taken place, suggesting that it was produced in 1897, probably from an original clay or terracotta bust now lost. The bust is likely to have been the sculptor's plaster model, probably used in the production of subsequent closely related versions: it is known to have been reproduced in marble and bronze. Versions have appeared in numerous sales. Bronze versions are also held in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, the Manchester City Art Gallery and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, although this version is significantly larger than most of the other known versions in bronze. Later reworked examples in marble are in the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, and in the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery; a further version was formerly in the Luxembourg Museum, Paris.
A bronze was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1897, and it has been suggested that this was the version sold by Phillips on 23 September 1997 (signed and dated 1896). The date of that bronze, a year earlier than the date on this piece, would suggest that Drury had to make another model.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Age of Innocence (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster |
| Brief description | Bust, plaster cast, 'The Age of Innocence', by Alfred Drury, British, 1897 |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Joy Way |
| Object history | According to the donor the bust was given to her mother in the late 1930s by the sculptor, who lived opposite the family in Wimbledon when the donor was a child. Given by Mrs Joy Way, 'Wasp Well', Outwood, Redhill, Surrey, in 2000. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | The Age of Innocence |
| Summary | The model for this bust was Gracie Doncaster, the daughter of one of Drury's friends. The bust itself is considered by Benedict Read to be one of the 'major icons' of the late 19th century English movement known as the 'New Sculpture'. The signature and date are incised into the surface of the plaster after casting had taken place, suggesting that it was produced in 1897, probably from an original clay or terracotta bust now lost. The bust is likely to have been the sculptor's plaster model, probably used in the production of subsequent closely related versions: it is known to have been reproduced in marble and bronze. Versions have appeared in numerous sales. Bronze versions are also held in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, the Manchester City Art Gallery and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, although this version is significantly larger than most of the other known versions in bronze. Later reworked examples in marble are in the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, and in the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery; a further version was formerly in the Luxembourg Museum, Paris. A bronze was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1897, and it has been suggested that this was the version sold by Phillips on 23 September 1997 (signed and dated 1896). The date of that bronze, a year earlier than the date on this piece, would suggest that Drury had to make another model. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.31-2000 |
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| Record created | November 21, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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