Lot 357: JOSEPH WILTON R.A.

LONDON 1722 - 1803 A DESIGN FOR A MONUMENT, WITH AN ANGEL AND A PUTTO MOURNING OVER AN URN Pen and black ink with grey wash, on laid paper 396 by 226 mm

Possibly William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough (1704-1793), his Executor’s sale, London, Christie’s, 7 April 1801, lot 66 (as Francesco Bartolozzi); purchased from Louis Meier, circa 1955

Joseph Wilton was perhaps the most distinguished English sculptor of his generation. Although the present drawing has not been linked to a surviving monument, it is typical of his draughtsmanship. Born in London in 1722, he trained in France, firstly under Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778) at Nivelle and then with Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714-1785) at the Académie de Peinture et Sculpture in Paris. In 1747, Wilton relocated to Italy, where he achieved great success working for Grand Tourists in both Rome and Florence. By 1752 Sir Joshua Reynolds was urging him to return to England and he finally did so in 1755. Back in London his reputation only grew and in 1761 he was appointed ‘Sculptor in Ordinary’ to King George III. Upon the formation of the Royal Academy in 1768 Wilton was amongst its founding members.