George Frederick Handel thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 24, The Dorothy and Michael Hintze Galleries

George Frederick Handel

Portrait Bust
ca. 1750-1760 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The composer George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) is shown in bust form in high relief, wearing a long flowing wig. Roubiliac made a number of images of the celebrated German composer, who spent much of his working life in London. Roubiliac himself was a native of France, and his first known independent work in England after his arrival in 1730 was the full-length marble statue of Handel made for Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in 1738 (now in the V&A, inv. no. A.3-1965). The V&A also has on long-term loan a bronze roundel of Handel by Roubiliac, which is related, though not exactly the same as, the present terracotta. The funerary monument to Handel by Roubiliac is in Westminster Abbey.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGeorge Frederick Handel (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Modelled terracotta
Brief description
Relief, terracotta, portrait of George Frederick Handel, by Louis-François Roubiliac, England, ca. 1750-1760
Physical description
The composer George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) is shown in bust form in high relief, wearing a long flowing wig.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 28.6cm
Object history
Purchased under the bequest of Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., 1961, from Messrs Peel and Humphris, Bond Street, London, for £250.

Historical significance: Roubiliac made a number of images of the celebrated German composer, who spent much of his working life in London. Roubiliac himself was a native of France, and his first known independent work in England after his arrival in 1730 was the full-length marble statue of Handel made for Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in 1738 (now in the V&A, inv. no. A.3-1965). The V&A also has on long-term loan a bronze roundel of Handel by Roubiliac, which is related, though not exactly the same as, the present terracotta. The funerary monument to Handel by Roubiliac is in Westminster Abbey.
Subject depicted
Summary
The composer George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) is shown in bust form in high relief, wearing a long flowing wig. Roubiliac made a number of images of the celebrated German composer, who spent much of his working life in London. Roubiliac himself was a native of France, and his first known independent work in England after his arrival in 1730 was the full-length marble statue of Handel made for Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in 1738 (now in the V&A, inv. no. A.3-1965). The V&A also has on long-term loan a bronze roundel of Handel by Roubiliac, which is related, though not exactly the same as, the present terracotta. The funerary monument to Handel by Roubiliac is in Westminster Abbey.
Bibliographic references
  • 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, pp. 117-118, cat.no. 160
  • Mallet, J.V.G., "Some Portrait Medallions ny Roubiliac", in: Burlington Magazine, CIV, April 1962, pp. 153-8, and fig. 23
  • Snodin, Michael (ed.), Rococo : art and design in Hogarth's England, London : Trefoil Books, 1984 no. F12
Collection
Accession number
A.11-1961

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Record createdDecember 29, 2008
Record URL
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