Image:Shakespearevanda.jpg

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[edit] Summary

Bust of William Shakespeare, about 1730, John Michael Rysbrack V&A Museum no. A.6-1924

Techniques - Terracotta

Artist/designer - John Michael Rysbrack, baptised 27/06/1684 - died 08/01/1770

Place - England

Dimensions - Height 57 cm Width 50 cm Depth 26 cm

Object Type - This historicising bust of Shakespeare may well have been one of a group of British Worthies. Shakespeare, along with John Milton, Isaac Newton and other figures became important symbols in the 18th century for what were perceived as the great British traditions of independent and creative thought and action. This particular bust is a version of one in the Temple of British Worthies at Stowe, Buckinghamshire; the bust at Stowe was carved by Rysbrack for Lord Cobham in about 1730. This version may also have been one of a set, although its original context is unknown.

Materials & Making - This terracotta bust was probably cast from a mould. Although terracotta is fired clay, and the clay is often modelled by the artist, this terracotta can also be used as a reproductive medium. This particular bust is based on a stone one at Stowe, and almost certainly a mould was taken of the stone version, which was then used to cast this terracotta. The exact date this occurred is uncertain, but it might have been some years after the original stone bust was carved in 1730.

People - John Michael Rysbrack (1694-1770), who carved the stone bust on which this terracotta is based, was one of the most successful sculptors working in Britain in the 18th century. Born in Antwerp, he arrived in England in about 1720, and soon established himself as a leading sculptor of funerary monuments and portrait busts in particular. Many of his monuments are in Westminster Abbey. His bust of the architect James Gibbs (1682-1754) commemorates his friendship with him (the bust was commissioned and owned by Gibbs himself); he and Gibbs worked together on a number of projects, at Stowe and elsewhere.

Source: http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/page/Home.html

[edit] Licensing

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

File history

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	Date/Time	Dimensions	User	Comment
current	10:32, 4 January 2008	599×711 (50 KB)	VAwebteam (Talk \| contribs)	(Bust of William Shakespeare, about 1730, John Michael Rysbrack V&A Museum no. A.6-1924 Techniques - Terracotta Artist/designer - John Michael Rysbrack, baptised 27/06/1684 - died 08/01/1770 Place - England Dimensions - Height 57 cm Width 50 cm De)