Thomas Mansel Talbot of Margam Park and Penrice Castle thumbnail 1
Thomas Mansel Talbot of Margam Park and Penrice Castle thumbnail 2
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Thomas Mansel Talbot of Margam Park and Penrice Castle

Bust
1770-1775 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Thomas Mansel Talbot (1747-1813), shown here bare-chested and with long hair, was a wealthy Welsh landowner. He went on the Grand Tour from 1770 to 1775 and commissioned this bust of himself at a cost of £68 - a fairly standard charge - from the Irish sculptor Christopher Hewetson. At the same time he commissioned a bust of Pope Clement XIV (Museum no. A.22-1948).

Hewetson (B. Kilkenny with birth date unclear; d. Rome 1798). He worked in Dublin before moving to Rome to live and work in 1765, where he remained for the rest of his life. He specialised in portrait busts of British visitors on the Grand Tour and established himself as one of the prominent British sculptors working in Rome at that time.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThomas Mansel Talbot of Margam Park and Penrice Castle (generic title)
Materials and techniques
White marble
Brief description
Bust, white marble, of Thomas Mansell Talbot, by Christopher Hewetson, Irish (carved in Rome), ca. 1770-1775
Physical description
Undraped bust. The subject, whose hair fall to his shoulders behind his neck, is facing half right. Inscribed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 61.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
'CHRUS . HEWETSON . FECIT'
Gallery label
(2021)
Christopher Hewetson (1737/38–98)
Bust of Thomas Mansel Talbot (1747–1813)
About 1773

Here, Thomas Mansel Talbot, a wealthy Welsh land owner, is depicted with a bare chest and long hair as if he were an ancient Roman. Talbot went on the Grand Tour from 1770 to 1775 and commissioned this bust from the Irish sculptor Hewetson. Based in Rome from 1765, the sculptor achieved fame by carving portrait busts for British visitors.

Rome
Marble
Object history
Given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., in 1953.
Production
Irish, carved in Rome
Subjects depicted
Summary
Thomas Mansel Talbot (1747-1813), shown here bare-chested and with long hair, was a wealthy Welsh landowner. He went on the Grand Tour from 1770 to 1775 and commissioned this bust of himself at a cost of £68 - a fairly standard charge - from the Irish sculptor Christopher Hewetson. At the same time he commissioned a bust of Pope Clement XIV (Museum no. A.22-1948).

Hewetson (B. Kilkenny with birth date unclear; d. Rome 1798). He worked in Dublin before moving to Rome to live and work in 1765, where he remained for the rest of his life. He specialised in portrait busts of British visitors on the Grand Tour and established himself as one of the prominent British sculptors working in Rome at that time.
Bibliographic references
  • Ingamells, John (ed.), A Dictionary of British and Irish Travellers in italy 1701-1800, New Haven, 1997, pp. 923-4
  • De Breffny, "Christopher Hewetson", in: Irish Arts Review, 1986, p. 59, cat. 29a
  • Scott, J., The Pleasures of Antiquity. British Collectors of Greece and Rome, London, 2003, fig. 99 on p. 141
  • 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. 91, cat.no 124
Collection
Accession number
A.41-1953

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Record createdAugust 14, 2006
Record URL
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