Joseph Nollekens

Probably Nollekens' Estate sale, London, Evan's, 4-5 December 1823, as part of lots 232-262;
probably Mrs Russell (neé Palmer) of Curzon Street, London,
by whom sold, London, Christie's, 20-22 March 1847, as part of lots 212-262;
Eleven designs:
Oliver Hill, FRIBA, FRSA, FILA, 
by whose widow, Mrs M. Hill, sold, London, Sotheby's, 27 March 1969, lots 69 (for £18), 271, 275 (for £140), 277 (for £40), 278, 279 (for £200), 280 (for £50), 281 (for £30), 282 (for £15), 283 (for £15), 288, as Peter Scheemakers (for £200);
all to Brian Sewell;
with the Heim Gallery, London, from whom purchased

The design for the architectural part of the monument to Richard Trevor, Bishop of Durham:
J. Kenworthy-Brown, 'Nollekens's monument to Bishop Trevor', in Georgian Group Journal, vol. XVI, 2009, pp. 141-8

Thirty in the lot, all unframed. The monument to General Noel is on the verso of a double-sided sheet. Attached at the left margin to the backing sheet, which appears to be contemporary to the drawing. Slight surface dirt at the bottom of the recto. Small tear at the lower left corner. Small stain lower right corner. Generally fresh. Verso- two very small yellow stains on the figure. Both sides quite fresh and overall in good condition. The remaining drawings: Some have slight surface dirt at the lower part of sheet, but of relative unimportance. A few with foxing. One has a wax seal, lower right corner. Generally all are in reasonable condition, considering that they are working drawings.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Nollekens executed more than a hundred funerary monuments, in the form of either free-standing figures or wall monuments carved with portrait medallions or trophies.  However, despite this volume of work, the artist was rather less popular than his contemporaries in the field such as Flaxman, Bacon or Westmacott, and after the difficulties Nollekens experienced with his Monument to Three Naval Captains (see lot 570), he is even said to have lost all interest in producing public sculpture.  

The evolution of Nollekens' style is evident in the range of designs in the present lot.  While the 1775 Monument to Richard Trevor, Bishop of Durham (inv. no. 80.7.21) was conceived in a splendidly baroque manner, by the 1780s Nollekens' work is firmly neo-classical, with Greek influences emerging in his late designs (such as the 1812 Monument to Charles Long; inv. no. 80.7.29).

One of the designs in this group (inv. no. 80.7.22) was intended for a Monument to David Garrick in Westminster Abbey, and although the commission was ultimately given to Henry Webber, the monument as constructed has many similarities to Nollekens' design.  We see the actor standing between a kneeling comic muse, holding a lyre and mask, and the standing tragic muse, who crowns him with a wreath. 

It has been suggested that the subject of another design in the lot (inv. no. 80.7.9), may be George Washington.  No models are known to have survived, but the 1802 Nollekens exhibition at the Royal Academy included ''A design for a monument to the memory of the late celebrated general, supported by Wisdom and Justice'', the allegorical figures seen in the present sheet.  Furthermore, lot 33 in the Nollekens studio sale of 4 July 1823 was described as ''A monumental Group, designed for General Washington...very spirited''.