William, Duke of Cumberland thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

William, Duke of Cumberland

Bust
ca. 1747-1749 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
This bust would probably have been displayed on a wall bracket, on a chimneypiece, in a glazed cabinet, or on another domestic furnishing. In grand houses, busts were often displayed in private libraries.

People
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1745), was the second son of George II and younger brother to Frederick, Prince of Wales. At the time that this bust was made he was widely celebrated for having crushed the Jacobite uprising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), he had led the Allied forces (British, Dutch and Austrians) in an attempt to relieve Tournai (now in Belgium) from a French siege; it failed at the desperate battle of Fontenoy, five miles from Tournai. Coincidentally, Joseph Willems, Chelsea's principal modeller was working in Tournai at that date. The Duke's secretary, Sir Everard Fawkener, was one of the backers of the Chelsea porcelain factory.

Design & Designing
The Chelsea factory may have adapted the portrait from a cast lead bust by John Cheere, or from a commercially available plaster adaptation of Cheere's portrait.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleWilliam, Duke of Cumberland (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Soft-paste porcelain
Brief description
Bust of William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765), Chelsea Porcelain factory, London, ca. 1747-1749
Dimensions
  • Height: 12.4cm
  • Width: 6.2cm
Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 01/01/1998 by KN Height is approx, scaled from photo
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
Continental European porcelain factories were generally backed by members of the aristocracy. British factories, by contrast, were invariably founded as strictly commercial ventures financed by members of the professional middle classes. One of Chelsea's backers was the secretary to the Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765), who is represented here.
Credit line
Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street
Object history
Made at the Chelsea porcelain factory, London. Given by C. H. Carruthers, Esq. Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street.
Summary
Object Type
This bust would probably have been displayed on a wall bracket, on a chimneypiece, in a glazed cabinet, or on another domestic furnishing. In grand houses, busts were often displayed in private libraries.

People
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1745), was the second son of George II and younger brother to Frederick, Prince of Wales. At the time that this bust was made he was widely celebrated for having crushed the Jacobite uprising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), he had led the Allied forces (British, Dutch and Austrians) in an attempt to relieve Tournai (now in Belgium) from a French siege; it failed at the desperate battle of Fontenoy, five miles from Tournai. Coincidentally, Joseph Willems, Chelsea's principal modeller was working in Tournai at that date. The Duke's secretary, Sir Everard Fawkener, was one of the backers of the Chelsea porcelain factory.

Design & Designing
The Chelsea factory may have adapted the portrait from a cast lead bust by John Cheere, or from a commercially available plaster adaptation of Cheere's portrait.
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
2917-1901

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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