Not currently on display at the V&A

Putto with skull

Statue
ca. 1680 - ca. 1700 (carved)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This figure is badly eroded, possibly from weathering. The attribution to the London workshop of Grinling Gibbons or Arnold Quellin is suggested by comparisons with the carving on the Whitehall Palace altarpiece executed for King James II in 1686. Apparently, prior to the Museum acquiring it, this putto was in the Old Greycoat School, Westminster, London.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePutto with skull (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Marble
Brief description
Statue, marble, putto with a skull, possibly workshop Grinling Gibbons or Arnold Quellin, England, ca. 1680-1700
Physical description
The putto is half-nude, half-swathed in drapery, resting on his right foot, the other leg bent. He carries a skull in his left hand. The figure is badly eroded, possibly from weathering.
Dimensions
  • Height: 100.5cm
Object history
Bought for £300 from the Heim Gallery, Jermyn Street, London, in 1982. According to the vendor, previously at the Old Greycoat School, Westminster (founded in 1698).
Production
Possibly circle of Grinling Gibbons or Arnold Quellin
Subjects depicted
Summary
This figure is badly eroded, possibly from weathering. The attribution to the London workshop of Grinling Gibbons or Arnold Quellin is suggested by comparisons with the carving on the Whitehall Palace altarpiece executed for King James II in 1686. Apparently, prior to the Museum acquiring it, this putto was in the Old Greycoat School, Westminster, London.
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, pp. 5-6, cat. no. 5
  • Green, D., Grinling Gibbons, London, 1964, plates 63, 65
Collection
Accession number
A.17-1982

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Record createdJanuary 9, 2003
Record URL
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