Workshop of Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey

Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey was one of the most prolific sculptors of the Regency era in Britain, often commissioned to represent the most important figures in the country, including of members of the royal family. Chantrey’s popularity was wide-reaching, culminating in institutional recognition when he was elected to the Royal Academy in 1818 and knighted by William IV in 1835.

His works were especially admired for their masterful rendering of the sitter’s character. The present lot expertly demonstrates this element of Chantrey’s work, representing Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in elegant drapery with a brooch to his proper left shoulder. The bust was described in Lockhart’s Life of Sir Walter Scott as preserving for posterity ‘that cast of expression most fondly remembered by all whomever mingled in his domestic circle’ (op. cit., p. 182).

The prime version was carved by Chantrey in 1820 and given to Scott in 1928 as a ‘token of esteem’ (Yarrington, et. al. p. 136) and another of the same model was made by Chantrey for the Duke of Wellington in 1827. A third version, sold to Robert Peel, was made in 1828 which revised Scott’s expression and according to Chantrey was ‘more serious than in the two former busts’ (ibid.). The plaster model is at the Ashmolean (inv. no. WA1842.119) and another version by Chantrey is at the National Portrait Gallery (inv. no. NPG 993). The bust also features in the background of Landseer’s charming portrait of Chantrey’s dog Mustard at the Royal Collection Balmoral (inv. no. RCIN 403222). Several later marble versions by Chantrey’s workshop exist, the present lot among them.

Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, and lawyer, widely regarded as a founder of the historical novel. Born in Edinburgh, he trained in law but gained fame through narrative poetry and later prose works including the Waverley novels and Ivanhoe. His writing drew on Scottish history and folklore. Scott also played a role in preserving national heritage and was created a baronet in 1820 by George IV.

RELATED LITERATURE

J. G. Lockhart, Life of Sir Walter Scott, II, London, 1837, p. 377; Alison Yarrington et al. (eds), An Edition of the Ledger of Sir Francis Chantrey, R.A., at the Royal Academy, 1809–1841, The Walpole Society, vol. 56, 1991–1992, pp. 136-137