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Bust of John Horne Tooke (1736-1812)
Sculptor: Chantrey, Francis Legatt
Bust of John Horne Tooke. White marble.
History note: Sir Francis Chantrey; Lady Chantrey
Given by Lady Chantrey
Method of acquisition: Given (1861-11-02) by Lady Chantrey
19th Century, Early#
1818
CE
-
Circa
1819
CE
Chantrey was introduced to Tooke by a fellow sculptor, Joseph Banks. The plaster model for this bust was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1811. Joseph Nollekens described it as ‘the best bust of all busts’ and moved one of his own pieces to give it greater prominence. Public acclaim followed, and Chantrey’s career as a sculptor was thus assured. At that time, however, neither Tooke nor Chantrey could afford to reproduce it in marble. The present bust was commissioned in 1818 by George Watson Taylor, MP, but on completion in 1819 it was never paid for, and thus remained in Chantrey’s possession until his death. It was inherited by his widow who presented it to the Museum in 1861, describing it ‘as one of my husband’s best works’.
Chantrey’s bust is a sympathetic portrait of a man already suffering from his last illness. The informality of Tooke’s dress, and his natural unaffected gaze are reminiscent of portraits by Louis-François Roubiliac.
John Horne studied law at Cambridge before becoming a priest, and receiving a curacy in Brentford. In 1782 he adopted the surname of his friend and mentor William Tooke. A radical reformer in politics, he founded the Constitutional Society, and favoured American independence. Having expressed support for the French Revolution in 1790, Tooke was arrested in 1794 for high treason but found not guilty.
Plinth
Height 11.4 cm
Bust
Height 50.8 cm
Carving : White marble, carved
Accession number: M.1-1861
Primary reference Number: 30919
External ID: CAM_CCF_M_1_1861
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Bust of John Horne Tooke (1736-1812)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/30919 Accessed: 2024-12-22 14:35:55
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/30919
|title=Bust of John Horne Tooke (1736-1812)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-22 14:35:55|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-30919
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<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa19/M_1_1861.jpg"
alt="Bust of John Horne Tooke (1736-1812)"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Bust of John Horne Tooke (1736-1812)</figcaption>
</figure>
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