Male figure in Roman imperial garb, probably Charles II or William III
British (English) School
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
c. 1683 - c. 1710
Materials
Oak
Measurements
945 x 710 x 460 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
NT 514606
Summary
Oak, male figure in Roman imperial garb, probably Charles II (London 1630-85) or William III (The Hague 1650 - London 1702), British (English) or Anglo-Dutch or Anglo-Flemish maker, in the manner of Grinling Gibbons (Rotterdam 1648 - London 1721), late 17th-early 18th century. A full-length figure of a man, carved of oak and varnished, standing in contrapposto, facing proper left with the proper left hand resting on the hip. The figure wears the dress of a Roman Emperor, with cuirass (breastplate), pteruges (attached to the cuirass), mantle (fastened around the proper right shoulder), laurel wreath and holds in the proper right hand a staff. The statue is carved of the centre of an oak tree, and there are associated radial splits (Hamilton Kerr Institute 2019-20). Mounted on a varnished oak base with large fixture-holes. In the manner of Grinling Gibbons' figures of Charles II, the stone produced 1683-4 for the Royal Exchange, London, (destroyed), the bronze produced 1685-6 for the Royal Hospital, Chelsea (extant). Although the pose follows Gibbons' Charles II, the facial features resemble those of William III, who was known for his prominent Roman nose (see Royal Armouries, inv.no. XVII.45).
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust by Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896-1966) with the house and the rest of the contents.
Makers and roles
British (English) School, sculptor style of Grinling Gibbons (Rotterdam 1648 - London 1721), sculptor