Joseph Nollekens arranges a bust of William Wyndham Grenville, Baron Grenville, between busts of William Pitt the younger and Charles James Fox, in a display of sculptures. Etching by J. Sayers, 1808.

  • Sayers, James, 1748-1823.
Date:
19th July 1808
Reference:
36137i
  • Pictures
  • Online

Available online

view Joseph Nollekens arranges a bust of William Wyndham Grenville, Baron Grenville, between busts of William Pitt the younger and Charles James Fox, in a display of sculptures. Etching by J. Sayers, 1808.

Public Domain Mark

You can use this work for any purpose without restriction under copyright law. Read more about this licence.

Credit

Joseph Nollekens arranges a bust of William Wyndham Grenville, Baron Grenville, between busts of William Pitt the younger and Charles James Fox, in a display of sculptures. Etching by J. Sayers, 1808. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Selected images from this work

View 1 image

About this work

Description

The titlepage to Sayers's pamphlet (op. cit.) includes the note '"We understand that Mr Nollekens is now employed in modelling a bust of Lord Grenville, as a companion to those of Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox." Daily Papers'. "This identifies 'Lord G******le' as William Wyndham Grenville, baron Grenville (1759-1834), of whom Nollekens did indeed complete a marble bust in 1810 (now in the Royal Collection). Grenville had served as Foreign Secretary under his cousin William Pitt, and had been a supporter of Catholic emancipation. He afterwards made an alliance with C.J. Fox and in 1806-7 led the 'ministry of all the talents'. "–Royal Academy online catalogue

The bust of Grenville wears a rosary and "the cross of Peter" round its neck because Grenville had argued the cause of Catholic emancipation with King George III, in vain. Pitt, a Tory, together with some of the other busts, looks at the arrival of Grenville, a Whig, with surprise. Fox (like Grenville a Whig) seems content: he is shown as dark-skinned ("Fox had dark, swarthy features"--Oxford dictionary of national biography). Left and right, two ancient sculptures from Nollekens's collection, one of a faun and the other of a torso

Publication/Creation

[London] : R. Spencer, 19th July 1808.

Physical description

1 print : etching ; image 21.3 x 18 cm

Lettering

And now the point of dress adjusted / Methinks I see his Lordship busted / And with the cross of Peter graced / Between his quondam colleagues placed / Propose with theirs to join his pate / And form a bust triumvirate. JSf

References note

British Museum, Catalogue of political and personal satires, vol. VIII, London 1947, no. 11002

Reference

Wellcome Collection 36137i

Type/Technique

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

Permanent link