William, Duke of Cumberland
Bust
ca. 1747-1749 (made)
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.
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 | |
| Title | William, 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 |
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| Gallery label | 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.(27/03/2003) |
| 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 created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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