Lot 12: Sir John Steell Scottish, 1804-1891 , A seated figure of Robert Burns (1759-1796)

the scroll inscribed with Burns verse bronze, rich dark brown patina

measurements note 47 by 28 by 33cm., 18½ by 11 by 13in.

This is a reduction of Steell's monumental bronze statue of Burns that was unveiled on 'Literary Walk' in New York's Central Park in 1880. It was commissioned from Steell by a committee formed immediately after the unveiling of the sculptor's own statue of Walter Scott (see previous lot), erected eight years previously. Steell is said to have moulded the head of Burns from a cast of the poet's skull in the Edinburgh Phrenological Society. Replicas of the New York statue are in London (Victoria Embankment), Dundee, Dunedin and New Zealand. The present bronze is a domestic size reduction which is rarely seen on the market. The fine casting demonstrates the skill of the foundries based in Scotland which Steell was instrumental in establishing. RELATED LITERATURE
Blackwood, pp.128-129