Marshall, William Calder (1813-94; Scottish) [after] Miranda Parian ware, size unknown Acquired by 1865 Unidentified; present location unknown This bust, representing Prospero’s daughter from The Tempest, was described in the NGV’s 1865 catalogue as by “W.G.Marshall,” and made in “Parian marble”. The sculptor was evidently W.C.Marshall, as detailed above. One of the most prolific sculptors
Works included in this catalogue * Mackennal Triumph of Truth 1891 {1891} Loc? [SC] Mackennal Louis Buvelot {1902} NGV [SC] Mackennal Madame Melba 1899 {1900} NGV [SC] After training with his father John (1832-1901), a Melbourne sculptor, Mackennal travelled to England in 1882, with an offer of work made by Marshall Wood, when the latter
Mackennal, Bertram (1863-1931; Australian) Madame Melba 1899 Marble, 198.5 x 61.3 x 61.5 cm (including base) Presented by Nellie Melba, 1900 National Gallery of Victoria (60-2) The famous soprano (1861-1931), who chose her stage name in tribute to her native Melbourne, commissioned this work from Mackennal – also a locally-born international celebrity, and almost her exact
Mackennal, Bertram (1863-1931; Australian) Louis Buvelot (1892) Marble, 55.8 x 49.8 x 29 cm Bequest of Madame Buvelot, 1902 National Gallery of Victoria (112-2) This posthumous bust was reproduced in NGV 1905. For Buvelot, see separate artist entry. Refs. AR 1902, p.18; NGV 1905, p.156 (VI.Sculpture – Verdon Gallery, no.15; ill. as shown here)
Mackennal, Bertram (1863-1931; Australian) The Triumph of Truth 1891 Plaster, size unknown Purchased, 1891 Unidentified, present location unknown [reproduction: wood engraving of Mackennal’s model, published in 1891] Noting this purchase, the NGV’s Annual Report for 1891 indicates that it received second prize (£100) in a competition to find a companion for Boehm St George 1887
MacDowell, Patrick (1799-1870; Irish/English) Eve (c.1870) Marble, size unknown Purchased, 1877; de-acquisitioned and presented to Bendigo, 1943 Bendigo Art Gallery (1943.18) The Irish-born sculptor – whose surname is also spelt McDowell in some sources – led a successful career in England, becoming a member of the Royal Academy in 1846. He is probably best known for the
Lombardi, Giovita (1837-76; Italian) Fowls – Cocks Fighting Marble, size unknown Purchased, 1884; de-accessioned and sold at auction, 1943 Unidentified; present location unknown As noted in NGV 1905, this was one of five sculptures purchased together in Melbourne in December 1884, for £1000: see also * Lombardi (Giovita) Goat and Kid {1884} Loc? [SC], etc. The sculptor
Lombardi, Giovita (1837-86; Italian) Goat and Kid Marble, size unknown Purchased, 1884; de-accessioned and sold at auction, 1943 Unidentified; present location unknown This group was sold at the 1943 auction of NGV sculpture, with the same sculptor’s marble statues of chickens, also acquired in 1884 (see separate entries); this work fetched £17/10. Lombardi exhibited marble
Lombardi, Giovita (1837-76; Italian) Hen and Chickens Marble, size unknown Purchased, 1884; de-accessioned and sold at auction, 1943 Unidentified; present location unknown Purchased with the other animal groups by Giovita Lombardi listed here, and, like them, de-accessioned in 1943 and sold for £25 at the 1943 auction of NGV sculpture. This group was presumably similar
Works included in this catalogue * Lombardi (Giovita) Fowls – Cocks Fighting {1884} Loc? [SC] * Lombardi (Giovita) Goat and Kid {1884} Loc? [SC] * Lombardi (Giovita) Hen and Chickens {1884} Loc? [SC] The younger brother of G.B.Lombardi, Giovita made a specialty of producing sculptures of barnyard animals, in both marble and bronze. The three examples purchased for
Lombardi, Giovanni Battista (1823-88; Italian) First Whisper of Love [also known as Young Woman with Cupid] Marble, 173 x 48 cm Presented by Mrs Francis, for her late husband the Hon.James Goodall Francis, 1884; de-accessioned and presented to Warrnambool, 1943 Warrnambool Art Gallery (176.1943) This statue is listed in NGV 1894 and 1905 as “Young Woman with
Works included in this catalogue * Lombardi (G.B.) First Whisper of Love {1884} Warrnambool [SC] * Summers (C.F.) & Lombardi (G.B.) Shunammite Woman {1884} Bendigo [SC] Lombardi, from Brescia, was known particularly for his figure sculpture, including numerous replicas and variants. Bénézit records various modern auction sales, often for substantial prices. The artist should be distinguished from
Halse, George (1826-95; English) Advance Australia 1865 Marble, size unknown Presented by Mrs Fitzroy Kelly, 1891; de-accessioned and auctioned, 1943 Present location unknown [contemporary photo in British Royal Collection] Halse worked full-time in a London bank, first as a clerk and then manager, while leading a parallel career as a self-taught, prolific and successful sculptor, praised
Gott, Joseph (1785-1860; English) Flora Marble, c.1.45 m high Presented by James Chapman, 1885; de-accessioned and presented to the City of Geelong West, 1941 Present location unknown “FLORA, in the act of dancing, and holding in both hands a festoon of roses” (description of Gott’s statue in a Roman catalogue, 1860). This work, one of
Works included in this catalogue Ball Dean Macartney 1888 {1889} SLV [SC] (begun by Gilbert) Gilbert & Ball Sir Redmond Barry 1887 {1887} SLV [SC] Gilbert, who arrived in Australia in 1854, was placed second behind Charles Summers in the competition to design the Burke & Wills monument in 1862. Later, according to the illuminating account by
Gilbert, James (1830-85; Irish/Australian), & Ball, Percival (1845-1900; English) Sir Redmond Barry 1887 Bronze, 2.97 m high Commissioned in 1883 by the Committee of the Barry Memorial Fund; accessioned in 1887 State Library of Victoria, forecourt This posthumous statue of Barry (1813-80), shown wearing his official robes as Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, commemorates
Giambologna (c.1529-1608; Flemish/Italian), after The Rape of the Sabine Women Marble, c.1.96 m high, including pedestal Presented by the family of James Purves, 1878 Present location unknown This statue is recorded as donated to the Melbourne collection in 1878, together with * Unknown (Italian, 19C?) Venus de’Medici (replica) {1878} Loc? [SC]. However, both statues appear to have
Francis, John (1780-1861; English) Lord Melbourne 1837 Marble, 93.0 x 52.0 x 36.0 cm Purchased, 1901 (advice of Bernard Hall); transferred from the NGV to the SLV, 1943 State Library of Victoria [LTS 39] The sitter – after whom the city of Melbourne is named – was British Prime Minister when Port Phillip was settled
Flaminio, Lucca (active c.1866; Italian) La Puberta 1866 Carrara marble, 67 cm high Presented by Sir George Verdon, 1867; de-accessioned and transferred to the Castlemaine Art Gallery, 1943; auctioned, 1987 Private collection Greeted enthusiastically on its arrival in Melbourne as an “exquisite” representation of “the passage from girlhood into womanhood” (Illustrated Australian News, Sept.1867), this work
Donatello (c.1386-1466; Italian), after Boy’s Head Bronze (?) Presented by the Education Department, by 1894; sold at auction, 1943 Unidentified; present location unknown The 1894 NGV catalogue lists a “Boy’s Head” after Donatello as donated by the Melbourne Education Department, including it under casts. Unless it was a plaster cast (another possibility), it may be
Delaplanche, Eugène (1836-91; French), after Securité Bronze, 68.8 x 48.5 x 35.4 cm Purchased, 1891 National Gallery of Victoria (p.58.4-1) This work is described as a replica in the NGV’s stock-book, the 1891 Annual Report, and the 1894 NGV catalogue. The original statue, shown at the 1884 Salon, was later at the Hotel de Ville,
Cranari, J. (active 1880s; Italian?) Perseus Marble, size unknown Presented by James Chapman, 1885; de-accessioned and transferred to Ballarat, 1943 Ballarat, Botanical Gardens In the 1940s, this statue was transferred to Ballarat, where it joined other Victorian-era statues acquired in the 1880s and later. The figure was photographed recently, as shown here, in the Ballarat
Canova, Antonio (1757-1822; Italian), attributed to Eve Marble, size unknown Presented by James Chapman, 1885; de-accessioned and sold at auction, 1943 Unidentified; present location unknown One of four statues documented as presented to the NGV by Chapman in 1885, this work was acknowledged in both the 1894 and 1905 catalogues merely as attributed to Canova.
Carrier-Belleuse, Albert-Ernest (1824-87; French) Melody Bronze, size unknown Bequest of Alfred Felton, 1904; transferred to Castlemaine, 1943; de-accessioned from the Castlemaine collection and auctioned, 1987 Unidentified; present location unknown This work, still in the Castlemaine collection in 1983 (when it was described as a gift from the NGV in 1943), was clearly identical with the
Carrier-Belleuse, Albert-Ernest (1824-87; French) The Esquire and The Knight Bronze statuettes, sizes unknown Presented by John King, Esq., by 1865 Unidentified; present location unknown This pair of figures was first listed in the 1865 NGV catalogue. In NGV 1894, they are catalogued as by A. Carrier, and hence were probably early works, since the sculptor signed himself
Works included in this catalogue * Carrier-Belleuse The Esquire and The Knight {by 1865} Loc? [SC] * Carrier-Belleuse Melody {1904} Loc? [SC] Carrier-Belleuse, described by H.W.Janson (1985) as “the most prolific and versatile sculptor of his time,” was one of the founding members of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1862. He was responsible for
Brütt, Adolf (1855-1939; German) Half draped female figure 1888 Bronze Purchased, 1888; de-accessioned and presented to Bendigo, 1943 Bendigo Art Gallery (1943.11A-B) The artist became a member of the Munich Secession in 1893, and later founded the Weimar school for sculpture and bronze casting. His statues are on display in Munich, Berlin and elsewhere in Germany,
Bonham Carter, Joanna Hilary (1821-65; English) Florence Nightingale Parian ware, size unknown Presented by George Bartrop, 1880 Unidentified; present location unknown This bust is recorded in the gallery’s Annual Report for 1880 as made of “Parian marble” – a type of porcelain. (An account of this medium, noting its introduction by Copeland’s at Stoke-on-Trent in
Portrait in the pre-Felton collection Johnstone, O’Shanessy & Co. Sir George Verdon {1896} SLV [PH] Pre-Felton works donated by Verdon * Flaminio La Puberta 1866 {1867} Priv.coll. [SC] Roberts St Anne, Bruges 1851 {1894} NGV [PA] * Saupé Marcus Clarke {1893} Loc? [SC] [photo at right: detail of Verdon’s bookplate and signature from his copy of
Pre-Felton works purchased on Ruskin’s advice * Frere Cottage Interior {1872} Loc? [PA] Gray Child playing grandmother 1870 {1872} NGV [PA] * Morrish Landscape, near Manaton 1870 {1871} Loc? [WT] Phillott The Haunt of Ancient Peace {1871} NGV [WT] * Watson Cottage scenery {1871} Loc? [WT] See also * Boehm [after] John Ruskin {1876?} Geelong [SC] Ruskin