Lot 11: Sir John Steell Scottish, 1804-1891 , A seated figure of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

bronze, rich dark brown patina

measurements note 40.5 by 26.5 by 33cm., 16 by 10½ by 13in.

Steell had a conventional education for a sculptor in the early nineteenth century, completing his studies with a sojourn in Rome, but he broke the mould of a British sculptor's career by setting up his studio in his native Scotland rather than London. He thus established the foundations for a school of Scottish sculpture.

The present bronze of Walter Scott is a reduction of the marble statue in Princes Street, Edinburgh (unveiled in 1846) which is said to have been the first marble monument commissioned in Scotland from a Scottish artist. Additionally, Steell was instrumental in the development of bronze casting north of the border; he built his own foundry which he made available to fellow sculptors. In this context, the present bronze is particularly interesting since it gives an insight into the state of casting in Scotland during the nineteenth century. Steell also produced a monumental bronze cast of his Walter Scott which was erected in Central Park, New York, in 1872 (see next lot). The figure was also produced in parian ware. RELATED LITERATURE
Pearson pp.73-83; Payne p.246, no.D127