George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824)

This statuette in wax represents Lord Byron, looking to the left with his right hand resting on a pile on books on top of a plinth.

Little has been discovered to date about the 'J. Cave' who signed this work. He worked in both wax and ivory, and was based in London; he seems to have been active between 1820 and 1850. The present piece is dated 1835; another wax by Cave, also in the V&A, is a bust of George IV dated 8 October 1830. He also executed a wax of William IV on a sofa (private collection, London); a version of this was reproduced in Parian porcelain.

Wax portaits had become popular during the 18th century in Britain, but some artists continued the tradition in this material during the early 19th century, especially before the invention of photography. They were often modelled from the life; a mould could be made from this initial model, from which further copies could be cast. The waxes were small and portable, and the nature of the material meant that they were extremely naturalistic. Sometimes they were coloured, and extra items added, such as textiles, seed pearls or coloured glass, to increase the life-like appearance of the portrayal.