Lot 373: A VICTORIAN WHITE MARBLE BUST

A VICTORIAN WHITE MARBLE BUST
BY WILLIAM THEED (1804-1891), DATED 1845
A boy, inscribed to reverse 'W.Theed, fecit, Roma, 1845'
24 in. (61 cm.) high

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William Theed, the Staffordshire born sculptor, attended the Royal Academy schools and also worked for five years in the studio of E.H. Baily. In 1826 Theed went to Rome and studied under Gibson, Wyatt and the pre-eminent Danish sculptor Thorwaldsen. In 1844 the Prince Consort asked John Gibson to send him designs by English sculptors working in Rome for marble statues to be placed in Osborne House, the Isle of Wight. Two designs by Theed were accepted and in 1848 he returned to London. After having executed busts for Osborne House and subsequently Buckingham Palace, he was to receive a large number of commissions, chiefly for public statues. The present bust shows Theed's fine attention to finish and composition.