English, second half 18th century Cast from a model by Louis François Roubiliac (1702-1762)

bronze, dark brown patina, with old circular inventory label to the rear numbered in ink C651 and mounted on a dark red veined marble socle

Reputedly the Plowden-Wardlaw family at Castle Craigie, Ayrshire; by descent to Margaret Spurway, née Plowden-Wardlaw; by descent to the present owner

Overall the condition of the bust is very good with some minor wear to the patina consistent with age. There is an area of minor greening to the patina to the proper left of the forehead, as visible in the catalogue photograph, and another area to the hair above the proper left ear. There is some minor verdigris in the crevices of the hair. There is a very light vertical surface scratch to the forehead as visible in the catalogue photograph.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This apparently unique bronze bust of Pope is of the same type as Roubiliac's signed marble version dating to 1740 at Milton Hall, Peterborough in the collection of the Earls of Fitzwilliam.  It conforms very closely not only in the undraped narrow truncation and incised pupils but also in the treatment of the hair, which replicates the same distinctive curls and loops resting over the ears and to the back of the head which is unique to this type amongst the numerous variations.

Only a few surviving bronzes are known by Roubiliac, who is principally remembered as a marble sculptor, which makes the present discovery of great interest. That he worked in bronze is attested to by a gilt-bronze high-relief of David Garrick, which is set on to an oval backplate to create a medallion portrait. The relief, now in the Garrick Club, is signed L.F.Roubiliac Sc^t. ad Vivum 1758 and belongs to a group of associated bronze medallions which includes a portrait of Pope. These medallions can probably be identified as the 'Three ditto of Mr. Handel, Sir Isaac Newton, and Mr. Pope' which appear as lot 93 under the heading 'BRONZES, etc' on the second day of Roubiliac's posthumous sale held on 13th May 1762. They were probably the same works re-sold in an early Christie's sale in 1766, when they were described as 'Sir Isaac Newton, Pope and Handel in bronze finely repaired [i.e. finished] by the late ingenious Mr. Roubiliac'. The suggestion here is that Roubiliac himself took part in the finishing of his bronzes.

The most relevant comparison to the present portrait of Pope can, however, be made with Roubiliac's bronze bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773), of which three casts are known: in the V&A (A.17-1959), in Dublin Castle, and as sold in these rooms 16th December, 1998, lot 150.  Comparison with the version in the V&A reveals just how similar the present bust of Pope appears in both facture and finish. The patina of deep dark brown with a thick black laquer is almost identical and has aged in the same way. There is the same finely stippled texture to the hair and the cast itself is of comparably expert treatment, with an even thickness, if some minor pitting. Furthermore the V&A cast, which has been remounted, was formerly attached to its socle by an armature that connected at three points: to the back of the shoulders on each side, and centrally to the front lower chest. This format is analogous to the mounting technique employed on the present work, which has been expertly crafted to raise the bust just forward and above its socle while remaining invisible from the principle frontal and three-quarter veiwpoints. It may well prove that while most of Roubiliac's socles are of the square waisted type, that the present example is in fact also original.

It is not known who did Roubiliac's casting but it is clear that he took great care in supervising their production and was probably involved in finishing them.  Although John Cheere is known to have produced plaster casts of Roubiliac's Pope, and could therefore have produced bronzes, the models he used are of a different type to the present 'Milton' example.  The present cast is indeed so similar in comparison to the Chesterfield in the V&A that it was probably cast in the same foundry, if of a slightly later date.

RELATED LITERATURE
K.Esdaile, The Life and Works of Louis Francois Roubiliac, London, 1928;
J.V.G.Mallet, 'Some Portrait Medallions by Roubiliac', in Burlington Magazine, vol.104, April 1962, pp.153-58;
W.K.Wimsatt, The Portraits of Alexander Pope, New Haven and London, 1965, pp.244