Room 24: Sculpture in Britain - Portraits & Memorial Sculpture
Sculpture in Britain: Portraits and Memorial Sculpture, room 24
The Dorothy and Michael Hintze Galleries
Funerary monuments and portrait busts were the most common ways in which people were commemorated in sculpture. Sometimes the two were combined: a bust was placed on a funerary monument, or a copy of a bust on a church monument was displayed in the family house. The likeness might be taken from life or a death mask, or from some other source, such as a painting.
The way in which the male sitter was portrayed could signify his professional or aristocratic status, while ancient Roman dress implied his classical education. Women were more rarely depicted, and usually only in their role as the wife of an aristocratic husband.
In the first half of the 18th century, many sculptors active in Britain had trained on the Continent. They introduced new styles and forms from the Netherlands, France and Italy.
Room 24 is on Level 1 of the V&A South Kensington.
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Buy nowEvent - Huguenot Silver
Thu 11 April 2013 13:00
FREE TALK: Led by Heike Zech, V&A Sculpture, Metals, Ceramics and Glass Department
