The Busts of Oliver Cromwell Part 17. At The Lady Lever Art Gallery, The Russell Cotes Museum, and The Museum of Arts, Milwaukee.Update.

The Busts of Oliver Cromwell 

at The Lady Lever Art Gallery, 

The Russell Cotes Museum, 

The Museum of Arts, Milwaukee.

The Tangye bust at the Museum of London

Part 2. 

Update.

Whilst this is a very subjective  - it is my current opinion that these four busts are all 19th Century - the best one can say for them is that the quality of the carving is competent. 

I have not yet seen any good photographs of the Tangye bust but expect to receive some imminently.

These busts are perhaps based on an original seen by George Vertue in the Rysbrack Studio in 1732 which is now missing although the planes of the flesh have more in common with the Harwood or Wilton busts.

There are minor variations in these busts particularly in the rivets on the breastplate but they all appear to have come from the same so far unidentified studio.

Oliver Cromwell.

Anonymous Marble Busts.

Left to Right - Russell Cotes Museum, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Museum of Art Milwaukee.

There are minor differences in these busts - note the rivets on the breastplate on the right proper of the Russel Cotes version and the conformation of the rivets on the breastplate of the other two.

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Oliver Cromwell.

Russell Cotes Museum, Bournemouth.

Marble Bust.

This bust has a spurious Roubiliac inscription.

RUBILIAC Sculpt

I am very grateful to Duncan Walker of the Russell Cotes Art Gallery and Museum for his input.

The spurious Roubiliac inscription on the back of the Russell Cotes bust of Cromwell.

Roubiliac would be turning in his grave!

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Oliver Cromwell

Marble Bust

Museum of Art Milwaukee.

This bust is inscribed OLIVER CROMWELL. ROUBILIAC

I am extremely grateful to both Rebekah Morin and Catherine Sawinski of the Museum of Art in Milwaukee for corresponding and providing the photographs of this bust.

Another spurious inscription.

My recent visit to the Lady Lever Art Gallery to photograph their bust of Cromwell and to obtain a glimpse of their files produced a photocopy photograph below and a few details of the owner of this bust in 1959.

Sold Sotheby's, 3 March 1959. Lot 141,.

Bought by  C Kerwin, 15 Davies Street, London, W1.

I am very grateful to David Moffat of the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight for welcoming me to the gallery and allowing me to see and copy the files relating to their bust of Cromwell.

Note: 15 Davies St became the home of the Grosvenor Gallery, founded by Eric Estorick in 1960 

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Marble Bust of Oliver Cromwell Anonymous Sculptor. at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight.

Update with new photographs taken by the author.

Probably Mid - late 19th century. 

On a later Belgian Red Marble Socle.

Purchased 28th July 1914 from Dealer D.L. Isaacs of New Oxford Street London (est. 1868) for £15.00

Original gallery number X43.

71 cm with socle.

For Isaacs see - https://antiquedealersblog.wordpress.com/tag/m-harris-sons/

Raisback Sculp

The miss spelled inscription.

Once again I am very grateful to David Moffat of the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight for welcoming me to the gallery and allowing me to see and copy the files relating to their bust of Cromwell.

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Oliver Cromwell.

Marble Bust.

In the collection of Sir Richard Tangye (1833 - 1906) in 1899.

The Two Protectors : Oliver and Richard Cromwell.

by Tangye, Richard, Sir, 1833-1906.

pub 1899.

See page 106.

available online -

https://archive.org/details/twoprotectorsoli00tanguoft/page/n13

This bust is not the Russell Cotes Museum, the Lady Lever or the Milwaukee Museum bust.

but it is obviously related.


see also

The Cromwellian Collection of MSS., Miniatures Medals etc.... of Sir Richard Tangye pub 1905.

19th-century engineer Sir Richard Tangye was a noted Cromwell enthusiast and collector of Cromwell manuscripts and memorabilia. 

His collection included many rare manuscripts and printed books, medals, paintings, objects d'art, and a bizarre assemblage of "relics". This includes Cromwell's Bible, button, coffin plate, death mask, and funeral escutcheon. 

On Tangye's death, the entire collection was donated to the Museum of London, where it can still be seen.

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