Cleveland Museum of Art

Sir H. C. Englefield, Bart.

Francis Legatt Chantrey

Date

1818

Medium

marble

Culture

England, 19th century

Department

Modern European Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

To modern eyes, a bare-chested portrait of a man in his mid-60s might seem undignified. However, it was fashionable for gentlemen of Englefield’s generation to be portrayed in this manner, deliberately referencing the antique sculptures of Roman statesmen they admired. As a Catholic, Englefield was barred from taking part in politics in England; however, he was a member of several clubs devoted to the amateur study of art, science, and history. Among these were the Society of Dilettanti, which championed the works of antiquity and promoted the creation of modern art in the same spirit—like this marble bust by celebrated sculptor Francis Legatt Chantrey. Initially, Chantrey tried to establish himself as a portrait painter. After 1805, he painted only on occasion and from 1811–20, he became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency Era Great Britain.

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