William IV
Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey RA (Norton, nr. Sheffield 1781 – London 1841)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
20 Jun 1837 (signed and dated)
Materials
Carrara marble
Measurements
790 x 570 x 300 mm
Order this imageCollection
Belton House, Lincolnshire
NT 436766
Summary
Carrara marble on turned marble socle, William IV, Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey, signed and dated ‘CHANTRY SC.’, ‘XX JUNII 1837’. Bust of William IV (1765–1837) looking to the left, wearing cloak draped across chest. The truncation at rear is inscribed: ‘CHANTREY SC.’ and below in smaller letters: ‘GULIELMUS IV VIR NERATUS FLEBILIS GRATA MEMORIA COLLENDUS OBT XX JUNII 1837’.
Full description
This is one of ten identified versions of an original bust ordered by the Duke of Clarence, later William IV, in 1829. Preliminary drawings by Chantrey in the National Portrait Gallery show that sittings began in 1830 when the Duke had succeeded his brother as William IV (NPG 316a (34–7, 141–2). In the same year Chantrey was appointed Sculptor-in-Ordinary to the King and in 1835 he was knighted. The Belton version was ordered in 1838 by John Cust, later the 1st Earl Brownlow (1779-1853), and was delivered with a bust of the Duke of Wellington by Chantrey, ordered in 1836 (NT 436767). A letter by Chantrey dated 13 August, 1838, gives an account of the sculptor’s progress: ‘Some time ago the Bust of the late King for your Lordship was commenced and all went on well until the beginning of last week when we cut into a nest of little black spots on one side of the Face, and I was induced to delay writing until I ascertained the result. The more we cut away the blacker they became and today I have determined to put it aside and hope for better luck in another block which will be commenced upon tomorrow. Had not ill foreseen befallen me I could have promised this Bust in six weeks at the latest. Your Lordship I believe is aware that the Bust of the Duke of Wellington is – I may say, finished, and that I have been more than usually fortunate in the pure quality of the marble.’ (Brownlow Papers, Lincolnshire Archives, BNLW 2/2/3/7) Chantrey is probably referring to the presence of pyrites in the marble. Pyrites are small crystals of iron sulphide which can corrode causing unsightly staining. The expense of Carrara marble was considerable, so sculptors were known to pick pyrites out and fill the holes with wax, however the prestige of this commission merited starting all over again with a new block. The busts of William IV and Wellington were not paid for until after Chantrey’s death. A letter sent 10 February 1842 from the poet Allan Cunningham (1784-1842), a close friend of Chantrey who served as his clerk and workshop manager, requests payment of ‘150 guineas’ for the bust of Wellington and ‘200 guineas’ for William IV, ‘making together £367-10-0’. (BNLW 2/2/3/8). The bust was placed in the Entrance Hall at Ashridge in 1921 (see Country Life 1921, p. 193). Alice Rylance-Watson October 2018
Provenance
Purchased 1838 by John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow (1779-1853). Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) from Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow, C. St J. (b.1936) in 1984.
Credit line
Belton House, The Brownlow Collection (acquired with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund by the National Trust in 1984)
Marks and inscriptions
Truncation at rear: CHANTREY SC. |GULIELMUS IV VIR NERATUS FLEBILIS GRATA MEMORIA COLLENDUS OBT XX JUNII 1837
Makers and roles
Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey RA (Norton, nr. Sheffield 1781 – London 1841), sculptor
References
Yarrington, Lieberman, Potts and Barker 1991-1992: Alison Yarrington, Ilene D. Lieberman, Alex Potts and Malcolm Barker, ‘An Edition of the Ledger of Sir Francis Chantrey R.A., at the Royal Academy, 1809-1841, The Volume of the Walpole Society, 1991-1992, pp. 254-5, no.226a, 318 no.290b Country Homes and Gardens Old & New: Ashridge Park II. Hertfordshire, A Seat of Lord Brownlow, Country Life, Vol. 50, Iss. 1284, (Aug 13, 1921), pp. 192-198, p. 193.