Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey

Commissioned by Hans Sloane-Stanley, Paultons, Romsey, Hampshire;

Thence by descent at Paultons until circa 1972;

With Cyril Humphries, acquired from the above, until 1980;

Private collection, England;

Private collection, Brussels

B. McMillan, The exhibition of the Royal Academy, London, 1813, no. 927;

G. Jones, Sir Francis Chantrey R.A.: Recollections of his life, practice and opinions, London, 1849, p. 17;

A. Yarrington, I. D. Lieberman, A. Potts and M. Baker, The Ledger of Sir Francis Chantrey, R.A., at the Royal Academy, 1809-41, The Walpole Society, vol. 56, 1991/92, no. 9, p. 27

London, The Royal Academy, 1813, no. 927

Francis 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 Lady Sloane Stanley deep in thought with his trademark sense of ease and informality.

Lady Sloane Stanley (née Lady Gertrude Howard) was the daughter of Frederick Howard, fifth Earl of Carlisle and cousin of Lord Byron. She took the name of Sloane Stanley in 1806 when she married Sir William Sloane Stanley. The present bust is one of few female subjects among Chantrey’s portraits, a notable exception being his 1840 portrait of the eminent scientist Lady Mary Somerville currently held at the Royal Society in London (inv. no. S/0021).

RELATED LITERATURE

S. Dunkerley, Francis Chantrey Sculptor: From Norton to Knighthood, Sheffield, 1995