Physical description
The aged bishop looks downwards. His head is carved in ivory and his robe made of copper foil and lead foil. The bust is set on an ebonised wood socle.
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (made)
Date
1899 (made)
Artist/maker
Gilbert, Alfred (Sir), born 1854 - died 1934 (sculptor)
Materials and Techniques
Bronze and carved ivory, copper foil and lead foil, with glass beads, on an ebonised wood socle
Marks and inscriptions
'Exhibition of Victoriana Manchester. 3. Edward the only Confessor. Bronze and ivory. H.12" by Sir Alfred Gilbert. Lender Lady Makins. Cheriton. Nr Arlesford, Hants. W. Wingate & Johnston (South) Ltd.'
Dimensions
Height: 29.5 cm, Height: 12 cm, Width: 12.5 cm, Depth: 11.5 cm, Weight: 2.140 kg, Height: 19 cm
Object history note
The bust was conceived as part of the Tomb of the Duke of Clarence (1892-1901) for the Albert Memorial Chapel, Windsor, commissioned in 1892. The combination of materials connects it with the first group of statuettes from the tomb. At one time mistakenly identified as Edward the Confessor, the work was more recently catalogued as A Bishop Saint by Richard Dorment. Gilbert apparently decided not to include the bust in the tomb and he sold it to Robert Dunthorne for £70 in 1899. Dunthorne immediately sold it to William Vivian, a collector had already acquired several copies of statuettes from the tomb. The bust was passed through the family before being given to the museum by Lord Harvey of Tasburgh.
The bust was given to the museum in 1995 by Lady Harvey of Tasburgh, in accordance with the wishes of Lady Jean Makins MBE.
Descriptive line
Bust, bronze and ivory, of an aged Bishop Saint, by Sir Alfred Gilbert, England, 1899
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Hatton, J. 'The Life and Work of Albert Gilbert R.A., M.V.O., D.C.L.', The Easter Art Annual, The Art Journal, 1903, p.32, illustrated p.27
Maskell, Alfred. Ivories, London, 1905, pp. 410-411
Maskell recorded A.4-1995 as one of two ivories by Gilbert in the Vivian Collection in 1905, and commented that both were 'repetitions of figures on the Clarence memorial, but not exact copies. The bishop was to have been full-length but Gilbert changed his mind.' However, there is no closely comparable figure on the finished Clarence Tomb and it seems likely that Maskell's statemant is an error.
Dorment, Richard. Alfred Gilbert, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1985, p. 201, fig.126
Gilbert, C., The Studio Diary of Alfred Gilbert for 1899: The Identities of the Saints on the Duke of Clarence Memorial, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1987, p. 9 and pp. 22-3, note 12
mentions that the bust may be an early study for St Boniface for the Clarence tomb.
Bilbey, Diane and Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture 1470-2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, p. 282, cat.no. 431
Dorment, R. Alfred Gilbert Sculptor and Goldsmith. (exh. cat.), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1986, pp. 165-6, cat. no. 74, and illus. on pp. 63 and 165
Exhibition History
Alfred Gilbert, Sculptor and Goldsmith (Royal Academy of Arts 01/01/1985-31/12/1985)
Victorian High Renaissance (Manchester Art Gallery 01/01/1978-31/12/1979)
Victorian High Renaissance (Manchester Art Gallery 01/01/1978-31/12/1979)
Victorian High Renaissance (Manchester Art Gallery 01/01/1978-31/12/1979)
Labels and date
A BISHOP SAINT
Ivory and bronze on an ebonised wood socle
By ALFRED GILBERT
ENGLISH, about 1892
Given by Lord Harvey of Tasburgh, in accordance with the wishes of Lady Jane Makins MBE
This small bust was originally conceived as part of the tomb of the Duke of Clarence in the Albert Memorial Chapel, Windsor. The wax and plaster model for the tomb is also displayed here. The tomb was commissioned from Gilbert in 1892, and this bust would have been one of a group of statuettes placed around the effigy. However in the event Gilbert did not include it, and sold it seperately in 1899. The bust is a fascinating example of Gilbert's use of improvised materials and experimental working methods: the central core of the figure is formed from a discarded bronze torso of a St George statuette, with the ivory head and bronze cope and mitre added on. [January 1996]
Production Note
The bust and two other works in the collection relate to Gilbert's commission for the Tomb of the Duke of Clarence.
Attribution note: The bust reveals Gilbert's spontaneous and experimental techniques. The bust, constructed out of the torso of the St. George figure used for the Clarence tomb, with the cope, ivory head and mitre added on, is more like a working model than a finished work. However, given the circumstances of the bust's origins there is no reason to suppose that there ever was a studio model and the bust is probably a unique work.
Reason For Production: Commission
Materials
Wood; Bronze; Ivory; Copper alloy; Foil; Glass beads
Techniques
Carved
Subjects depicted
Saint; Bishop (prelate)
Categories
Portraits; Sculpture; Christianity
Production Type
Unique
Collection code
SCP
