The Royal Collection Marble Bust of Alexander Pope,
after Louis Francois Roubiliac.
Updated.
The Royal collection website has recently updated its photographs of this bust (see below) and these photographs suggest to me that this very competent bust is not by Roubiliac but most probably a later copy. Perhaps by Edward Hodges Bailey.
The cutting of the hair lacks the fine definition of Roubiliac's work - it should be compared with the Yale Centre bust below.
They say "Thought to have been acquired by King George IV, this bust
of Alexander Pope was displayed in the Grand Corridor at Windsor Castle. The
bust stood alongside other commemorative representations of great historic and
contemporary English figures and it was displayed facing a bust of William
Shakespeare".
I have written at some length about all the 18th century busts of Pope in my parallel blog.
see these and other posts.
Photograph of the Royal Collection Marble bust of Pope by John Wesley Livingston
The same bust from an original 5"x7" glass plate negative of 2 white marble
busts: William, Duke of Devonshire by Nollekins (RCIN 35410), no.76; Alexander
Pope (RCIN 45173), no.77. See Windsor Castle Inventory of Statuary and Busts
(RCIN 1101202).
________________________
The Barber Institute Terracotta bust of Alexander Pope by Roubiliac.
They say c 1738 - my feeling is that it is perhaps slightly later.
The earliest marble bust of Pope is dated 1738, is that at Temple Newsam - it has no provenance prior to 1930.
A terracotta version, which might be this one, is mentioned
in the sale catalogue of the contents of Roubiliac's studio at his late
dwelling house in St Martins Lane by Langford's, Lot 76, third day of sale,
Friday 5 May, 1762 but it is possible that this lot may have been a different
and lost terracotta version of the earlier busts.
According to Kerslake ( Early Georgian Portraits, National
Gallery, 1977) sold to surgeon and collector John Belchier 1706 - 85. (who was also portrayed by
Roubiliac circa 1750 (Royal College of Surgeons.
H 62.1 x W 41 x D 22 cm;
Plinth: H 14.3 x W 20.8 x D 20.9 cm
....................................
The Paul Mellon Centre Marble bust of Alexander Pope.
Louis Francois Roubiliac.
1741
This bust was previously owned by Joseph Browne, of
Shepton Mallet and sold before 1791; it then passed to James Bindley and was sold
1819, by Sotheby's (Mr Sotheby), to Watson Taylor of Earlstoke Wiltshire, and sold in 1832 to Sir Robert Peel,
sold again in 1900 in the Peel Heirlooms sale for 510 Guineas to Thos. Agnew
and Son, acting on behalf of the Earl of Roseberry.
Sold Sothebys 1990, £930,000. Now at Yale Centre for the
Study of British Art, New Haven Conn. U.S.A.
Overall: 24 3/4 x 17 x 9 inches (62.9 x 43.2 x 22.9 cm)
Although signed and dated ad vivum 1741, there is an
inscription on the bottom of he bust in the same style, recording the death of Pope at Twickenham on
8th May 1744, suggesting that this bust was carved and completed posthumously
but based on Popes sitting for the terra cotta in 1741.
Pope had visited the studio
of Roubiliac in July of 1741, and reported to Ralph Allen in Bath on the
progress of busts for his library.
Inscribed, chiseled on front of socle: 'POPE'; on proper
left under sitter's shoulder: 'ALEX. POPE. Nats. LONDINI, | die 8o. junii anno
MDCLXXXVIII. | Obiit in vico Twickenham prope | Urbem, die 8o. maii
MDCCXLIV";
Signed and dated by chisel under sitter's shoulder, proper
right: "Anno Dom. | MDCCXLI. | L.F. Roubiliac | Scit. Ad vivum"
The other three signed and dated versions are at Temple Newsam House, Leeds (no provenance before the early 20th century;
the Lord Mansfield version in the Fitzwilliam collection at Milton, Peterborough; and the David Garrick version at Shipley Art
Gallery, Gateshead.
According to tradition, this bust was commissioned by Lord
Bolingbroke, who was a very close acquaintance of Pope, although as far as can
be ascertained there is so far no documented proof of his ownership. It would
seem that Bollingbroke spent most of his time in France between 1739 and 1743.
Notes - There is another link, however between Lord
Bolingbroke, Pope and Roubiliac:
10 February 1738/9. Roubiliac supplied plaster versions of
busts of Pope and Bollingbroke to the Earl of Marchmont ( Victoria &
Albert, National Arts Library, Ms 1578 - 1939. The Household Accounts of Hugh
Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont 1737- 1746. Press No. 1737-1746 National Arts
Library).
Note - The Temple Newsam Marble bust is dated 1738 but the
cutting of the hair is different to this bust - There are no plaster versions
of the Temple Newsam bust that I am aware of.
There two other busts of Pope of unknown material possibly
marble which have not been identified.
1. The Madame Boccage Bust of Alexander Pope. Busts of Pope,
Dryden, Milton and Shakespeare were sent with 3 others to Paris in 1751 by Lord
Chesterfield..
Mrs Esdaile makes a very good case that the four busts for
Mme Boccage’s garden sent to France were Roubiliac marble busts. Mrs Thrale saw
them in her drawing room in 1775
2. Lord Bruce bust of
Alexander Pope. Charles, Lord Bruce,Viscount of Tottenham, d.1747. -Tottenham
Park, Wiltshire. Inventory of 14 Nov.1744. (10 poets heads on painted and gilt
brackets, one ditto Mr Pope).
Charles, Lord Bruce who was a friend of Pope, m. Lady
Julianna Boyle, sister of Lord Burlington in 1720. Burlington provided plans
for Tottenham Park between 1730-40 (drawings at Chatsworth).
The fact that the
Pope bust is particularly noted is instructive. Although not stated as a
Roubiliac marble bust, he is the most likely candidate for its authorship. A
gilt bracket from Tottenham Park is in the V&A.
I know of no other versions by Rysbrack or Scheemakers in
any material which might be this bust. Of course it could have been a plaster
version by Roubiliac.
_____________________________
The British Museum Plaster Bust of Alexander Pope.
Height: 62 centimetres.
Width: 42 centimetres (max.).
Depth: 21.30 centimetres.
Acquired from the posthumous sale of the contents of Roubiliac's studio at St Martins Lane.
Presented by Dr Matthew Maty, 1762, who purchased it at
Roubiliac's sale, either lot 9, first day's sale, 12 May 1762, or lot 3 or lot
14, second day's sale, 13 May 1762, or lot 2, third day's sale, 14 May 1762.
__________________
William Kurtz Wimsatt (1907 - 75).
With the Milton/ Fitzwilliam Bust, the British Museum Bust, the Temple Newsum Bust, the Yale Bust, the Barber Institute Terracotta Bust and the Garrick, Shipley Bust.
................
The Portraits of Alexander Pope, W.K. Wimsatt, Published by Yale University Press, New Haven, 1965
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