-
George IV
Joseph, Samuel, born 1791 - died 1850 - Enlarge image
George IV
- Object:
Bust
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
1831 (carved)
- Artist/Maker:
Joseph, Samuel, born 1791 - died 1850 (sculptor)
- Materials and Techniques:
Carved marble
- Museum number:
A.12-1956
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 120, case 14
Object Type
This posthumous bust is an idealised representation of George IV, similar to the famous painted portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence. The King is shown in classical dress, but with a movement and bravura reminiscent of Italian Baroque sculpture. A bust of George IV by Joseph was apparently exhibited at the Suffolk Galleries, London, in 1831, and one was shown at the Royal Academy in 1835. It is unknown whether either of these (they may have been the same piece) was the present bust.
People
Samuel Joseph (1791-1850) was a pupil of the sculptor and wax modeller Peter Rouw; he also trained at the Royal Academy Schools in London. In 1823 he went to Edinburgh, and became one of the founder-members of the Royal Scottish Academy; he introduced a more naturalist, less classicist, style of portrait sculpture which was admired in Scotland at the time. He returned to London in 1828, but despite some prestigious commissions, including the monument to the slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce in Westminster Abbey, he died in some poverty.
Materials & Making
Marble busts were among the most prestigious types of portrait undertaken in Britain during the 18th century. The marble, a relatively expensive material, was imported, usually from Italy via The Netherlands, since there are no marble quarries in this country. The skills needed to carve marble might also be learnt abroad, where an aspiring artist would probably gain his most important training assisting an established sculptor.
