Not currently on display at the V&A

A Struggle between a Sweep and a Miller Interrupted by a Schoolmaster

Wax Model
late 18th century or early 19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This wax tableau illustrates a struggle between a sweep and a miller interupted by a schoolmaster. It is the work of Samuel Percy, the foremost portraitist in wax in the nineteenth century. Percy (ca. 1750-1820) was an Irish wax-modeller and sculptor, active in England. Around 1777 he went from Dublin to London, where he soon established a thriving practice as a portraitist in wax. By 1786 he had completed 800 historical and contemporary portraits.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleA Struggle between a Sweep and a Miller Interrupted by a Schoolmaster (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Coloured wax
Brief description
Model, wax, Quarrelsome Miller and Chimney Sweeper, English or Irish, by Samuel Percy, late 18th or early 19th century
Physical description
Model in coloured wax. A group of three men in a landscape, representing a fray between a miller and a sweep interrupted by a schoolmaster.
Dimensions
  • Of case height: 57.15cm
  • Length: 60.96cm
Object history
Bought in 1882.
Summary
This wax tableau illustrates a struggle between a sweep and a miller interupted by a schoolmaster. It is the work of Samuel Percy, the foremost portraitist in wax in the nineteenth century. Percy (ca. 1750-1820) was an Irish wax-modeller and sculptor, active in England. Around 1777 he went from Dublin to London, where he soon established a thriving practice as a portraitist in wax. By 1786 he had completed 800 historical and contemporary portraits.
Bibliographic reference
List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1882. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1883, p. 41
Collection
Accession number
445-1882

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2004
Record URL
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