Lot 107: William Behnes (British, 1795-1864) A Naval Officer, wearing Captain's full dress coat and epaulettes, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword

A Naval Officer, wearing Captain's full dress coat and epaulettes, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Pencil on paper, signed on the obverse and dated W Behnes/ **1815, maple wood frame.
Rectangular, 132mm (5 3/16in) high

Behnes spent his early life in Dublin where he studied art at the Dublin Academy before attending the Royal Academy School of Art from 1813. As a painter, he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1815 and won several medals. In 1819 he won a Society of Arts gold medal for inventing an instrument to assist sculpture work, having by this time begun to practice successfully as a sculptor.

In 1837 Behnes was appointed 'Sculptor in Ordinary' to Queen Victoria. He produced many notable church monuments and statues, including ones of Dr William Babington in St Paul's Cathedral, several of Sir Robert Peel, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Benjamin West and George Cruikshank.

Despite this success, he was financially inept and was declared bankrupt in 1861, and died in poverty.