Caryatid figure
Figure
ca. 1851 (made)
ca. 1851 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a one of a pair of models for part of a bronze, lacquered brass and steel fireplace known as the 'Boy' stove designed by Stevens for Messrs Hoole & Co Ltd in 1851, and exhibited at the Great Exhibition of that year.
A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo; and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement.
A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo; and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Caryatid figure (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster |
| Brief description | Model, plaster, Caryatid figure, one of a pair for a steel fire-place known as the 'Boy', by Alfred Stevens for Messrs Hoole 7 Co Ltd, England, ca. 1851 |
| Physical description | A nude boy standing to the right and holding up a cornucopiae. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought from Hugh Stannus, 64 Larkhall Rise, Clapham, London, together with range of other objects by Stevens, for £35. This model was included in a large purchase of material by Stevens in the possession of Stannus, a former pupil of Stevens who wrote a monograph on the sculptor in 1891. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a one of a pair of models for part of a bronze, lacquered brass and steel fireplace known as the 'Boy' stove designed by Stevens for Messrs Hoole & Co Ltd in 1851, and exhibited at the Great Exhibition of that year. A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo; and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. |
| Associated object | 958-1903 (Ensemble) |
| Bibliographic reference | Bilbey, Diana 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. 365, cat.nos. 548 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 958A-1903 |
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| Record created | March 20, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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