John Bell, Designs for the America Statue on the Albert Memorial, brown wash (fr), 3

Anonymous sale in these Rooms, 26 November 1998, lot 118

John Bell was one of the most prominent sculptors of his day. In 1864 he was commissioned by Queen Victoria to execute the America statue group for the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. These rare designs are clearly preparatory drawings as the number and groupings of the figures differ in the finished sculpture. Bell remained faithful to his original idea of an armed figure riding a buffalo and also kept the figure of the native Indian in his finished work.

Plans for the Albert Memorial began a month after the Prince's death on 14^th December 1861. In April 1863 Queen Victoria accepted Scott's designs and in May 1864 the project was begun. The extent of the sculpture on the memorial is considerable and offers good grounds for the Art Journal's enthusiastic comment: 'This will be the most glorious opportunity for British sculptors to show what they can really do' (see B. Reed, Victorian Sculpture, London, 1982, p. 100). Eleven sculptors were involved in the figure work and the leaders of the profession, including Bell, were chosen to execute the corner groups representing the four main Continents. The memorial was not finished until 1876 when the central figure of Prince Albert was installed.