John Graham Lough

Private collection, United Kingdom

The Northumbrian, John Graham Lough, has been described as a 'transitional' Victorian sculptor, who, despite spending three years in Italy, challenged the neo-classical ideal of beauty and subject matter. His early critical success, however, was not continued later in his long career. Like many innovative painters and composers of the time (but fewer sculptors) Lough was hugely inspired by William Shakespeare. Duncan's Horses is Lough's first, and perhaps most ambitious, interpretation of a Shakespearian subject. It is taken from Macbeth Act II, scene iv.

Ross:    And Duncan's horses, - a thing most strange and certain, -

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,

Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,

Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make

War with mankind

Old Man.‘Tis said they eat each other

Ross.    They did so, - to th’amazement of mine eyes,

That look’d upon’t

The Victoria & Albert Museum has three Shakespeare inspired marbles by Lough; Puck and Titania from A Midsumer Night's Dream and Jacques from As you like it.

Lough produced very few casts of his works. A large marble of Duncan’s Horses is recorded in private collections, a further plaster is in the Los Angeles County Museum, and a bronze in the V&A. Lough benefited from the patronage of many loyal Northumbrian clients, notably the Ridley family of Blagdon Hall. The 3rd Baron Ridley bought a cast of Duncan's Horses and his son commissioned several marbles.

The present plaster is accompanied by an exhibition label which indicates that it may possibly represent the first plaster version, which was shown at the Royal Academy in 1832 as no. 1159, accompanied by the quotation from Macbeth.

RELATED LITERATURE

J. Lough, and E. Merson, John Graham Lough 1798- 1876, Woodbridge, 1987, pp. 21, 57, 84, illustrated on cover; P. Fusco, European Painting and Sculpture in the Los Angeles Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1987, p. 143; D. Bilbey and M. Trusted, British Sculpture 1470 to 2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, pp. 323-4, cat. no. 491