Lot 490: A CARVED MARBLE BUST OF A GENTLEMAN

BY JOSEPH WILTON (1722-1803), 1771
Depicted facing slightly to sinister and wearing a nightcap, with a chemise and cravat beneath a heavily draped cloak; signed and dated beneath the truncation of the right shoulder 'I:WILTON Sculpt. 1771.'; on an oval marble socle; minor losses
25 1/2 in. (64.7 cm.) high; 31 in. (78.8 cm.) high, overall

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
J. R. Smith, Nollekens and His Time, London, 1828, II, p. 105
R. Gunnis, Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, London, 1951, pp. 434-437.
M. Whinney, Sculpture in Britain 1530 to 1830, rev. J. Physick, London, 1988, pp. 261-269.
D. Bilbey and M. Trusted, British Sculpture 1470-2000 - A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, pp. 161-4.

The property of the Bromley-Davenport Family

Joseph Wilton was the son of William Wilton who ran an extremely profitable factory making papier-maché ornaments in the early 18th century. He initially trained under Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778) in Nivelles and later with Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714-1785) in Paris between 1744-7. From 1747-1754 he travelled to Italy spending three years in Rome - where he was awarded the Jubilee gold medal by Benedict XIV -and four years in Florence. In 1755 he returned to England and rapidly established for himself a considerable reputation, which led, in 1764, with him being appointed court sculptor to George III.

Wilton's most celebrated public statement was his 1772 Monument to General Wolfe in Westminster Abbey, for which he won the commission against strong competition from Adam, Chambers, Roubiliac, Rysbrack and Henry Cheere (Whinney, op. cit., p. 265, fig. 193). While it was largely the work of assistants, with Nathaniel Smith and Capezzuoli carving significant parts, Wilton still demonstrated his virtuosity in the carving of the anatomy on the figure of Wolfe and the surrounding soldiers.

Wilton was one of the Foundation members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and also exhibited there regularly between 1769 and 1783. After his father's death in 1768 he inherited a significant fortune, which caused him to lead an extravagant lifestyle that ultimately resulted in his bankrupcy in 1793. During this time, however, he maintained his interest in sculpture and in 1790 was appointed Keeper of the Royal Academy, a post he held until his death.

Although he was perhaps best known as a designer of church monuments and classical statuary he was a supremely gifted portraitist, as the present bust testifies. Like his friend, and contemporary, Roubiliac, Wilton's talent lay in his ability to bring his chosen medium to life. He intuitively observed the smallest but most significant details; the direction of a glance, a subtle contour of a face or even a ripple in a fold, and although in certain instances this resulted in the defining of a broad nose or a heavy jowl, the result was both honest and human. A wonderful example of this skill can be seen in the modelling of the draw-string to the night-cap worn by the sitter of the present bust that faintly runs up the side of the head and terminates in a complex double knot to the reverse.

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