Saturday, June 11, 2016

Busts and Heads from the Antique

Antonio Tendi
Head from an antique statue of Jupiter
1798
drawing
British Museum

Further examples of 18th-century drawings and prints used to promote sales in London for antiquities from Italy. At the end of the 18th century, England's economic advantage over divided Italy was so great, and ancient sculpture so fashionable, that Roman artifacts flowed north in a torrent, as we have seen.

attributed to James Stephanoff
Herm-Bust of Bacchus
ca. 1768-1805
drawing
British Museum

Johann Adam Schweickart
Janus-headed Herm-Bust
1743
etching
British Museum

Jonathan Richardson Senior
Roman Bust
18th century
drawing
British Museum

attributed to Vincenzo Pacetti
Bust of Menelaus at the Vatican
ca. 1777
drawing
British Museum

Raphael Morghen
Antique Head of Augustus
1789
engraving
British Museum

William Hogarth
Bust of Hesiod at Wilton
1728
engraving
British Museum

Anonymous printmaker
Head from a Statue of a Companion of Ulysses
ca. 1769-1805
drawing
British Museum

John Brown
Head from an antique statue of a Bacchante
ca. 1786
drawing
British Museum

William Chambers
Head from an antique statue of an Amazon
ca. 1768-1805
drawing
British Museum

Benjamin Robert Haydon
Head from an antique statue of a Gaul
ca. 1778-1805
drawing
British Museum

Gerard van der Gucht after Peter Paul Rubens
Antique Herm-Bust of Hippocrates
ca. 1730
engraving
British Museum

As seen here yesterday, Peter Paul Rubens owned a personal collection of antique busts. He drew these, and others, then had them engraved by his workshop printmakers. Lucas Vorsterman engraved several, including the Democritus below. Another 150 years passed before the English poet and artist William Blake made use of Vorsterman's engraving as a template to produce a commissioned book illustration of his own.

Lucas Vorsterman after Peter Paul Rubens
Antique Bust of Democritus
ca. 1638
engraving
British Museum

William Blake after Lucas Vorsterman after Peter Paul Rubens
Bust of Democritus 
ca. 1789
engraving
British Museum

I am grateful to the British Museum for the excellent reproductions.