The statue of George III, Somerset House, formally titled George III and the River Thames, [1] is a Grade I listed outdoor bronze sculptural group depicting King George III and Neptune or Father Thames, located in the quadrangle of Somerset House, London, England. [2] [3] The sculptor was John Bacon, [2] and the statue was erected between 1778 and 1789. [nb 1]
George III is dressed in Roman apparel, leaning on a rudder, flanked by the prow of a Roman boat and a lion. [3] Father Thames is reclining on a lower, semi-circular plinth, one hand on an urn with a cornucopia behind him. [3] [2]
When Queen Charlotte first saw the statue of her husband she asked the sculptor 'Why did you make so frightful a figure?'. Bacon bowed and replied 'Art cannot always effect what is ever within the reach of Nature – the union of beauty and majesty.' [6]
Notes
- ^ The dating of the work varies. The 1841 Dictionary of dates, and universal reference gives 1788, [4] while Historic England and a 1910 survey by the London County Council state 1780. [2] [3] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for the sculptor, John Bacon, mentions commissions he received in 1788 and dates this sculpture to the 'same period'. [1] Margaret Whinney in Sculpture in Britain, 1530–1830 dates the 'design' of this and other works to 1778–1789. [5]
References
- ^ a b "Bacon, John (1740–1799)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/994. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Statue of George III, Somerset House quadrangle (1237087)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gomme, George Laurence (1910). Return of Outdoor Memorials in London: Other Than Statues on the Exterior of Buildings, Memorials in the Nature of Tombstones, Memorial Buildings and Memorial Trees. London County Council. pp. 39–40. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ Joseph Timothy Haydn (1841). Dictionary of dates, and universal reference. p. 485.
- ^ Margaret Whinney (1992). Sculpture in Britain, 1530–1830. Yale University Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-300-05318-0.
- ^ Hare, Augustus John Cuthbert (1878). Walks In London. Vol. I. London: Daldy, Ibister & Co. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
External links
-
Media related to
Statue of George III, Somerset House, London at Wikimedia Commons
51°30′41″N 0°07′03″W / 51.51133°N 0.11742°W
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- 1789 establishments in England
- Bronze sculptures in the City of Westminster
- Cultural depictions of George III
- Grade I listed statues in the City of Westminster
- Monuments and memorials in London
- Outdoor sculptures in London
- Sculptures of men in the United Kingdom
- Statues of monarchs
- Royal monuments in the United Kingdom
- London stubs
- United Kingdom sculpture stubs
The statue of George III, Somerset House, formally titled George III and the River Thames, [1] is a Grade I listed outdoor bronze sculptural group depicting King George III and Neptune or Father Thames, located in the quadrangle of Somerset House, London, England. [2] [3] The sculptor was John Bacon, [2] and the statue was erected between 1778 and 1789. [nb 1]
George III is dressed in Roman apparel, leaning on a rudder, flanked by the prow of a Roman boat and a lion. [3] Father Thames is reclining on a lower, semi-circular plinth, one hand on an urn with a cornucopia behind him. [3] [2]
When Queen Charlotte first saw the statue of her husband she asked the sculptor 'Why did you make so frightful a figure?'. Bacon bowed and replied 'Art cannot always effect what is ever within the reach of Nature – the union of beauty and majesty.' [6]
Notes
- ^ The dating of the work varies. The 1841 Dictionary of dates, and universal reference gives 1788, [4] while Historic England and a 1910 survey by the London County Council state 1780. [2] [3] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for the sculptor, John Bacon, mentions commissions he received in 1788 and dates this sculpture to the 'same period'. [1] Margaret Whinney in Sculpture in Britain, 1530–1830 dates the 'design' of this and other works to 1778–1789. [5]
References
- ^ a b "Bacon, John (1740–1799)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/994. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Statue of George III, Somerset House quadrangle (1237087)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gomme, George Laurence (1910). Return of Outdoor Memorials in London: Other Than Statues on the Exterior of Buildings, Memorials in the Nature of Tombstones, Memorial Buildings and Memorial Trees. London County Council. pp. 39–40. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ Joseph Timothy Haydn (1841). Dictionary of dates, and universal reference. p. 485.
- ^ Margaret Whinney (1992). Sculpture in Britain, 1530–1830. Yale University Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-300-05318-0.
- ^ Hare, Augustus John Cuthbert (1878). Walks In London. Vol. I. London: Daldy, Ibister & Co. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
External links
-
Media related to
Statue of George III, Somerset House, London at Wikimedia Commons
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Key: † No longer extant, on public display or in London (see
List of public art formerly in London) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
51°30′41″N 0°07′03″W / 51.51133°N 0.11742°W
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| This London-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
| This article about a sculpture in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1789 establishments in England
- Bronze sculptures in the City of Westminster
- Cultural depictions of George III
- Grade I listed statues in the City of Westminster
- Monuments and memorials in London
- Outdoor sculptures in London
- Sculptures of men in the United Kingdom
- Statues of monarchs
- Royal monuments in the United Kingdom
- London stubs
- United Kingdom sculpture stubs