Design thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 54

Design

ca.1733 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Drawings for sculpture were either for the artist's own use, or for presentation to a client to obtain a commission or show what the completed work would look like. This drawing has a clear outline, which suggests that it was made when the creative thinking was over and the design was ready to be shown to the client. However, it is not as finished as some of Rysbrack's other designs for monuments. For example, he does not attempt to imitate marble in the thin, even layer of watercolour (known as wash) over the triangular section behind the figures.

People
Thomas Foley was a Member of Parliament for Stafford for 18 years until he was raised to the peerage in 1712. He was one of 12 Tory peers created at this date.

Design & Designing
This design is not the same as the monument, itself, which is in St Michael's Church, Great Witley, Worcestershire. In the actual monument, the figures of the mother and child are on the same level as the reclining Lord Foley. The central, standing figure in the top row of the design is replaced by an urn. The engraver and diarist George Vertue (1684-1756) praised Rysbrack's monuments (and in doing so mentioned the one to Lord Foley), stating that they were 'standing Monuments to his Fame'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Brief description
Design for a memorial by John Rysbrack in Great Witley Church, to Thomas Lord Foley (d.1733) and his wife Mary (Strode), and their children Talbot, Edward, Richard and Anne. Worcestershire, England, ca.1733.
Physical description
Design for a memorial in Great Witley Church, to Thomas Lord Foley (d.1733) and his wife Mary (Strode), and their children, showing seven figures in total, reclining, leaning or standing around a plinth on three levels.
Dimensions
  • Paper height: 39cm
  • Width: 27.5cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 06/05/1999 by KN
Gallery label
British Galleries: Noblemen in the 18th century liked to think of themselves as the modern equivalents of ancient Greeks and Romans. Their classical Palladian houses reflected this, as did the monuments to their memory. In this design, Lord Foley (died 1733) and his family are dressed like Romans, in front of a large obelisk.(27/03/2003)
Object history
This design bears some resemblance to the memorial to the second and third Dukes of Beaufort in Badminton Church, Gloucestershire.

E.431, E.433, E.435, E.437, E.439, E.444, E.452 and E.453 are from the collection of Nathaniel Hone (1718-1784).
Subject depicted
Summary
Object Type
Drawings for sculpture were either for the artist's own use, or for presentation to a client to obtain a commission or show what the completed work would look like. This drawing has a clear outline, which suggests that it was made when the creative thinking was over and the design was ready to be shown to the client. However, it is not as finished as some of Rysbrack's other designs for monuments. For example, he does not attempt to imitate marble in the thin, even layer of watercolour (known as wash) over the triangular section behind the figures.

People
Thomas Foley was a Member of Parliament for Stafford for 18 years until he was raised to the peerage in 1712. He was one of 12 Tory peers created at this date.

Design & Designing
This design is not the same as the monument, itself, which is in St Michael's Church, Great Witley, Worcestershire. In the actual monument, the figures of the mother and child are on the same level as the reclining Lord Foley. The central, standing figure in the top row of the design is replaced by an urn. The engraver and diarist George Vertue (1684-1756) praised Rysbrack's monuments (and in doing so mentioned the one to Lord Foley), stating that they were 'standing Monuments to his Fame'.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Engraving Illustration and Design & Department of Paintings, Accessions 1946. London: Published under the Authority of the Ministry of Education, 1949.
Collection
Accession number
E.430-1946

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest