Robert Skirving
Relief
1816 (made)
1816 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, low relief portraits in wax became popular in Britain and they were often exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of Artists and elsewhere. Waxes were used in a similar way to prints and medals, in order to disseminate the image of the sitter, or, like miniature paintings or silhouettes as portable mementoes.
The popularity of wax portraits was in part driven by their links with other types of portrait manufacture such as ceramic medallions.
The process of making a portrait in wax would begin with a model in plasticine or soft wax which would be worked using ivory or wooden tools in much the same way as a model in clay. A plaster mould would then be made and molten wax poured into it. The relief would be hand-finished by the artist.
Robert Skirving was a writer and agriculturist who wrote an account of agriculture in East Lothian from 1821-71. His work charts a period of great change affecting social as well as working practices.
The popularity of wax portraits was in part driven by their links with other types of portrait manufacture such as ceramic medallions.
The process of making a portrait in wax would begin with a model in plasticine or soft wax which would be worked using ivory or wooden tools in much the same way as a model in clay. A plaster mould would then be made and molten wax poured into it. The relief would be hand-finished by the artist.
Robert Skirving was a writer and agriculturist who wrote an account of agriculture in East Lothian from 1821-71. His work charts a period of great change affecting social as well as working practices.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Robert Skirving |
| Materials and techniques | Wax |
| Brief description | Relief, Robert Skirving, wax, by Scoular, English, 1816 |
| Physical description | Wax relief. Profile to the right. |
| Credit line | Rupert Gunnis Bequest |
| Object history | Rupert Gunnis Bequest. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, low relief portraits in wax became popular in Britain and they were often exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of Artists and elsewhere. Waxes were used in a similar way to prints and medals, in order to disseminate the image of the sitter, or, like miniature paintings or silhouettes as portable mementoes. The popularity of wax portraits was in part driven by their links with other types of portrait manufacture such as ceramic medallions. The process of making a portrait in wax would begin with a model in plasticine or soft wax which would be worked using ivory or wooden tools in much the same way as a model in clay. A plaster mould would then be made and molten wax poured into it. The relief would be hand-finished by the artist. Robert Skirving was a writer and agriculturist who wrote an account of agriculture in East Lothian from 1821-71. His work charts a period of great change affecting social as well as working practices. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.101-1965 |
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| Record created | March 17, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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