Francis Legatt Chantrey

A. Yarrington, I. D. Lieberman, A. Potts and M. Baker, 'An Edition of the Ledger of Sir Francis Chantrey R. A., at the Royal Academy, 1809-1841,' The Fifty-sixth Volume of the Walpole Society, 1991-1992, p. 127, no. 109b
I. Roscoe, E. Hardy and M. G. Sullivan, A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain 1660-1851, New Haven and London, 2009, p. 248, no. 413

Overall the condition is good with some minor wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There are two chips to the lapels: one at the truncation and one to the proper right side of his chest. There are some minor inclusions visible on the surface consistent with material, including at the support on the reverse. The socle and bust are joined with help of plaster.
"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 fine bust is the original marble version of a plaster bust by Chantrey, described as 'Mr Perkins, a brewer', in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (Penny, op. cit. no. 746). The present bust is recorded in the Chantrey Ledgers as having been commissioned in 1819 and completed in 1820.

Given the reference in the Ashmolean records to Mr Perkins being 'a brewer', it can be confidently proposed that the sitter is Henry Perkins, a partner in the prosperous brewery Barclay, Perkins and Co. Perkins was also a noted bibliophile, and a fellow of the Linnean, Geological and Horticultural societies. He amassed a small but important library, which included two copies of the Gutenberg Bible (one paper, one vellum), a first edition of the Latin Bible (1462), a Coverdale Bible (1835), the first four Shakespeare folios, several works from the Caxton press, and numerous fine illuminated manuscripts, among them John Lydgate's Siege of Troy (c. 1425). In 1873, following the death of his son Algernon in 1870, Perkins' library was dispersed. The 865 lots in the sale raised the sum of £25,000, the largest amount hitherto realised for a collection of its size.

The present bust display's Chantrey's masterful skill as a carver of portrait busts. The focus on the sitter's mental concentration is typical of the sculptor's work, as is the interest in details such as the wig and the relatively informal dress.

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Potts (ed.), Sir Francis Chantrey. Sculptor of the great, exh. cat. National Portrait Gallery, London and Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, London, 1981; N. Penny, Catalogue of European sculpture in the Ashmolean Museum. Volume III: British, Oxford, 1992, p. 241, no. 746; S. Dunkerley, Francis Chantrey Sculptor. From Norton to Knighthood, Sheffield, 1995