Oliver Cromwell
Bust
about 1760 (made)
about 1760 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bust is related to the marble bust executed by Joseph Wilton in 1762, also in the museum collection (V&A-Mus-No: A.32-1930). Although it was originally suggested that the terracotta was a model it is now thought that the finished condition of the terracotta suggests that it may well be cast after the marble.
The soft scarf round the neck would never have been worn in Cromwell's day, but its treatment with small folds which repeat each other is characteristic of Wilton's style and appears in several of his monuments.
Joseph Wilton (1722-1803) was the son of a London plasterer and manufacturer of papier-mâché ornaments, but received his training as a sculptor on the Continent, first under Laurent Delvaux at Nivelles, and then under Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in Paris. He went to Florence in 1751, and remained there until his return to England in 1755. In 1768 he became a founder member of the Royal Academy, but on inheriting a large legacy from his father he neglected sculpture and was declared bankrupt in 1793. In 1796 he was appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy, a post he retained until his death.
The great Puritan general of the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell lived with his family as a gentleman farmer until 1640, when he was elected MP for Cambridge in the Short and Long Parliaments. A fiercely religious idealist who spoke out against oppression, Cromwell and his troops successfully defeated the Royalists in a string of military victories before he emerged as the creator of the New Model Army in 1645. The aftermath of the execution of King Charles I in January 1649 saw Cromwell lead successful campaigns to conquer Ireland and Scotland, as well as managing the crushing defeat of Prince Charles's attempt to recover the Crown at Worcester in 1651, and the launching of victorious wars against the Dutch, Spain, and Tunisian piracy. In 1653 England was established as a Commonwealth with Cromwell designated Lord Protector, a title he retained until his death in 1658. Cromwell's reputation abroad had meanwhile blossomed, and although he refused pleas to assume the Crown, as time passed he lived more and more with the splendour of a monarch. Following the Restoration in 1660, Cromwell's body was dug up from its resting place in Westminster Abbey and ceremoniously executed.
The soft scarf round the neck would never have been worn in Cromwell's day, but its treatment with small folds which repeat each other is characteristic of Wilton's style and appears in several of his monuments.
Joseph Wilton (1722-1803) was the son of a London plasterer and manufacturer of papier-mâché ornaments, but received his training as a sculptor on the Continent, first under Laurent Delvaux at Nivelles, and then under Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in Paris. He went to Florence in 1751, and remained there until his return to England in 1755. In 1768 he became a founder member of the Royal Academy, but on inheriting a large legacy from his father he neglected sculpture and was declared bankrupt in 1793. In 1796 he was appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy, a post he retained until his death.
The great Puritan general of the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell lived with his family as a gentleman farmer until 1640, when he was elected MP for Cambridge in the Short and Long Parliaments. A fiercely religious idealist who spoke out against oppression, Cromwell and his troops successfully defeated the Royalists in a string of military victories before he emerged as the creator of the New Model Army in 1645. The aftermath of the execution of King Charles I in January 1649 saw Cromwell lead successful campaigns to conquer Ireland and Scotland, as well as managing the crushing defeat of Prince Charles's attempt to recover the Crown at Worcester in 1651, and the launching of victorious wars against the Dutch, Spain, and Tunisian piracy. In 1653 England was established as a Commonwealth with Cromwell designated Lord Protector, a title he retained until his death in 1658. Cromwell's reputation abroad had meanwhile blossomed, and although he refused pleas to assume the Crown, as time passed he lived more and more with the splendour of a monarch. Following the Restoration in 1660, Cromwell's body was dug up from its resting place in Westminster Abbey and ceremoniously executed.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Oliver Cromwell (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Terracotta |
| Brief description | Bust, terracotta, Oliver Cromwell, by Joseph Wilton, English, ca. 1760 |
| Physical description | Bust, terracotta. The sitter, who wears a cuirass, adorned with lions in relief on the shoulders and a Medusa head on the breast, turned his hand sharply to the right. His thinning hair falls in curls to his shoulder. Was covered in white paint. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Rupert Gunnis, Hungershall Lodge, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Rupert Gunnis, Esq, Hungershall Lodge, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The present piece was covered in white paint, which was removed by the Conservation Department in July 1965. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This bust is related to the marble bust executed by Joseph Wilton in 1762, also in the museum collection (V&A-Mus-No: A.32-1930). Although it was originally suggested that the terracotta was a model it is now thought that the finished condition of the terracotta suggests that it may well be cast after the marble. The soft scarf round the neck would never have been worn in Cromwell's day, but its treatment with small folds which repeat each other is characteristic of Wilton's style and appears in several of his monuments. Joseph Wilton (1722-1803) was the son of a London plasterer and manufacturer of papier-mâché ornaments, but received his training as a sculptor on the Continent, first under Laurent Delvaux at Nivelles, and then under Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in Paris. He went to Florence in 1751, and remained there until his return to England in 1755. In 1768 he became a founder member of the Royal Academy, but on inheriting a large legacy from his father he neglected sculpture and was declared bankrupt in 1793. In 1796 he was appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy, a post he retained until his death. The great Puritan general of the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell lived with his family as a gentleman farmer until 1640, when he was elected MP for Cambridge in the Short and Long Parliaments. A fiercely religious idealist who spoke out against oppression, Cromwell and his troops successfully defeated the Royalists in a string of military victories before he emerged as the creator of the New Model Army in 1645. The aftermath of the execution of King Charles I in January 1649 saw Cromwell lead successful campaigns to conquer Ireland and Scotland, as well as managing the crushing defeat of Prince Charles's attempt to recover the Crown at Worcester in 1651, and the launching of victorious wars against the Dutch, Spain, and Tunisian piracy. In 1653 England was established as a Commonwealth with Cromwell designated Lord Protector, a title he retained until his death in 1658. Cromwell's reputation abroad had meanwhile blossomed, and although he refused pleas to assume the Crown, as time passed he lived more and more with the splendour of a monarch. Following the Restoration in 1660, Cromwell's body was dug up from its resting place in Westminster Abbey and ceremoniously executed. |
| Associated object | A.32-1930 (Version) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.72-1965 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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