Fame and Friendship: Pope, Roubiliac and the Portrait Bust

No contemporary figure in 18th-century Britain has been more widely depicted than the poet Alexander Pope. Widely considered to be the leading literary figure of the age, Pope took great pains over how he was represented and carefully fashioned his public persona through images, published letters and printed editions of his works. In this exhibition, curated by eminent sculpture scholar, Professor Malcolm Baker, Distinguished Professor in the Department of History of Art at California University Riverside, USA, some of the most celebrated painted portraits of Pope will be shown alongside a selection of prints. The centrepiece of the exhibition though will consist of eight different versions of the same portrait bust of Pope by the leading sculptor of the period, Louis François Roubiliac, whose busts are amongst the greatest portrait sculptures of the eighteenth century, a period in which the medium found new prominence. They convey the compelling and intense sensibility of a sitter who, as well as being a significant public figure, also endured much physical pain. This revealing exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to explore how replication was central to 18th century sculptural practice as well as how an author’s fame and friendships could be celebrated through sculpture.

Website
www.​nationaltrust.​org.​uk/​waddesdon-​manor

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//mw795?id=EVENT459097