Democritus thumbnail 1
Democritus thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Democritus

Bust
1757 (made)
Artist/Maker
Lucke, Johann Christian Ludwig (Von) (made)
Place of origin
London (made)

This bust and its pair inv.no. A.202-1946 represent the so-called laughing and weeping philosophers: Democritus and Heraclitus, both from ancient Greece. They were often paired in sculpture in the 18th century to symbolise two contrasting attitudes to life. The use of steatite, a relatively rare stone, gives the busts an antique appearance.

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Portraits
Object type
Bust
TitleDemocritus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Steatite
Steatite
Alabaster
Brief description
Bust, stone, alabaster, Democritus, German, Johann Christoph Ludwig von Lücke, 1757
Physical description
Bust of Democritus wearing a loose cloth cap and loose open necked shirt with heavy drapery over shoulders. The head with curling beard and hair curling loosely is turned to the left. The mouth laughs as do the eyes which look rather slyly to the front. To the right of the mouth a wart.
Dimensions
  • Excluding base height: 13.9cm
Marks and inscriptions
'Ludewig / von Lucke /Fecit 1757'.
Historical context
Bronze version in Mills Collection, Bistern near Ringwood, Dorset. Terracotta version in the LA County Museum
Subject depicted
Democritus (Of Abdera)
Summary
This bust and its pair inv.no. A.202-1946 represent the so-called laughing and weeping philosophers: Democritus and Heraclitus, both from ancient Greece. They were often paired in sculpture in the 18th century to symbolise two contrasting attitudes to life. The use of steatite, a relatively rare stone, gives the busts an antique appearance.
Associated object
A.202-1946
Bibliographic references
  • Burlington Magazine XCVII, 1955, p. 92
  • Theuerkauff, C, Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16-19 Jahrhunderts (Die Bildwerke der Skulpturengalerie Berlin), II, Berlin, 1986, p. 201 and p. 203, note 1.
  • Sauerland, Max, Einige Neue Arbeiten von Joh Christoph Ludwig Lucke in Troppau, Landesmuseum, Anzeiger II, 1930, p. 161, abb. 8.
  • Theuerkauff, C, 'Johann Christoph Ludwig Lücke- Ober- Modell- Meister und Inventions Meister' in Meissen, 'Ober-Direcktor zu Wien', Alte und Moderne Kunst 183, 1982, p. 27, figs. 22-5.
  • Rasmussen, Jörg, Barockplastik in Norddeutschland, Hamburg: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, 1977.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.201-1946

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Record createdJanuary 12, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89183/democritus-bust-lucke-johann-christian/
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