Edith Mozley
Bust
1863 (made)
1863 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The sitter, who belonged to a Liverpool family and may have been introduced to Gibson by Liverpool friends, was sixteen years old when the bust was executed in Rome. She was the daughter of a rich and cultivated Liverpool banke and much loved in social and artistic circles in Florence. She was married to the younger son of Count Gigliucci of Fermo in the Marche, whose wife was the famous Soprano Clara Novello, daughter of Vincent Novello, founder of the London firm of music publishers. The bust remained in the house built by the sitter's husband in the Plaza Savonarola in Florence until given to the Museum by her daughter.
Gibson (1790-1866) was apprenticed to Messrs Franceys, the Liverpool firm of statuaries and later went to Rome where he received tuition from Canova and Thorwaldsen. Elected A.R.A in 1833 and RA in 1838. He became the leading English sculptor of his generation working in the Neoclassical style and was famous for such works as the Tinted Venus, Pandora, Mars and Cupid and Psyche and Zephers. He also executed public statues and busts. He bequeathed his property on his death to the Royal Academy.
Gibson (1790-1866) was apprenticed to Messrs Franceys, the Liverpool firm of statuaries and later went to Rome where he received tuition from Canova and Thorwaldsen. Elected A.R.A in 1833 and RA in 1838. He became the leading English sculptor of his generation working in the Neoclassical style and was famous for such works as the Tinted Venus, Pandora, Mars and Cupid and Psyche and Zephers. He also executed public statues and busts. He bequeathed his property on his death to the Royal Academy.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Edith Mozley (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Marble |
| Brief description | Bust, marble, of Edith Margaret Mozley, by John Gibson, English, made in Rome, 1863 |
| Physical description | Bust, marble. The bust is truncated above the arms and the breasts. On the truncation in front is an inscription with the name of the sitter. Signed on the left side. The hair is parted in the middle and dressed in a snood behind. The eyeballs are blank. On a mottled green marble pedestal in three sections. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by the Contessa Bona Gigliucci |
| Object history | Given by the Contessa Gigliucci. A closely similar but slightly smaller plaster bust, painted in imitation of terracotta is in the Royal Academy of Arts. |
| Historical context | In a letter also in the collection Gibson wrote to Edith Mozley to encourage her 'to get a comb made like the one sculptured at the back of the bust'. He also advised that 'When they unpack the bust it must not be touched with the fingers.... place it for the moment within 6 feet from the window, covering the lower part so that the light streeks [sic] down upon the bust....' |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The sitter, who belonged to a Liverpool family and may have been introduced to Gibson by Liverpool friends, was sixteen years old when the bust was executed in Rome. She was the daughter of a rich and cultivated Liverpool banke and much loved in social and artistic circles in Florence. She was married to the younger son of Count Gigliucci of Fermo in the Marche, whose wife was the famous Soprano Clara Novello, daughter of Vincent Novello, founder of the London firm of music publishers. The bust remained in the house built by the sitter's husband in the Plaza Savonarola in Florence until given to the Museum by her daughter. Gibson (1790-1866) was apprenticed to Messrs Franceys, the Liverpool firm of statuaries and later went to Rome where he received tuition from Canova and Thorwaldsen. Elected A.R.A in 1833 and RA in 1838. He became the leading English sculptor of his generation working in the Neoclassical style and was famous for such works as the Tinted Venus, Pandora, Mars and Cupid and Psyche and Zephers. He also executed public statues and busts. He bequeathed his property on his death to the Royal Academy. |
| Bibliographic reference | 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. 274, cat.no. 419 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.15-1968 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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