Napoleon III (1808-1873) thumbnail 1
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Napoleon III (1808-1873)

Bust
1855 (carved)
Artist/Maker
Park, Patric (sculptor)
Place of origin
Manchester (made)

This marble bust is made by the Scottish sculptor Patrick Park in 1855. Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1808-1873) was President of the Second French Republic between 1850 and 1852, and Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. This bust was purchased from the Paris International Exhibition in 1855.

Patrick Park was a Scottish sculptor, initially apprenticed to a stone mason. He studied for 2 years with Bertel Thorvaldsen after travelling to Rome in 1881. He was especially prolific in portrait busts.


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Portrait
Politics
Scotland
SCRAN
Object type
Bust
TitleNapoleon III (1808-1873) (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Marble
Carved
Brief description
Bust, marble, Napoleon III, by Patric Park, Great Britain, 1855
Physical description
The sitter is slightly looking to his left. Signed and dated on the back.
Dimensions
  • Height: 80cm
Marks and inscriptions
'PATRIC PARK/RSA/JANY 1ST/MANCHESTER/1855' (on the back)
Object history
Purchased from the Paris International Exhibition in 1855 for £150. Originally displayed at Bethnal Green Museum, transferred to the Department of Architecture and Sculpture, in 1976.
A plater version of the present bust, probably the model for it, was formerly in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, presented by the sculptor's son in 1906. It was probably destroyed during bombing in the Second World War.
Subject depicted
Bonaparte, Napoleon III
Summary
This marble bust is made by the Scottish sculptor Patrick Park in 1855. Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1808-1873) was President of the Second French Republic between 1850 and 1852, and Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. This bust was purchased from the Paris International Exhibition in 1855.

Patrick Park was a Scottish sculptor, initially apprenticed to a stone mason. He studied for 2 years with Bertel Thorvaldsen after travelling to Rome in 1881. He was especially prolific in portrait busts.
Bibliographic references
  • Bilbey, Diane with Trusted, Marjorie, British Sculpture 1470 to 2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, p. 347, cat. no. 523
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1856. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 5
  • Graves, A., The Royal Academy of Arts. A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904, (8 vols), 1905-1906, VI, p. 54, no. 1467
  • Gunnis, R., Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, (revised edition, first published London 1953), London, 1968, p. 291
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
2637-1856

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Record createdDecember 10, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O71794/napoleon-iii-1808-1873-bust-park-patric/
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