Original Framed Plaster Portrait of Josephine Butler by the Pre-Raphaelite sculptor Alexander Munro c.1855
Description:
This is an original framed plaster relief by Alexander Munro, head and neck, profile to left, hair in chignon behind head, fanciful collar of foliage and flowers. The piece measures 22x17 inches [framed: 25x20 inches] and weighs approx. 4-5 kgs. The background has been coloured dark brown, to provide an artistic contrast to enhance the detail and beauty of the portrait and perhaps to give the piece an attractive ‘Wedgewood’ look to make it look more appealing.
An identical portrait is currently on display at the National Museums (Walker Art Gallery), Liverpool is thought to be one of only two or three examples known [See photo] [ref: Mary Bennett, Artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Circle: The First Generation, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, Lund Humphries, p.165, no. 9026].
Plus another portrait (but with a different frame) was recently entered for auction at Sothebys with a guide price of £2-3,000 ALEXANDER MUNRO | PORTRAIT OF MRS JOSEPHINE BUTLER | 19th and 20th Century Sculpture | Sculpture | Sotheby's (sothebys.com)
Condition
Overall, the condition of the plaster is very good, with no visible marks or scratching. The frame and glass are original. There is some wear to the gilding (see photos) and there are some small nicks and minor splitting to the frame consistent with its age and the material, otherwise the frame is in good condition, as evidenced by the photos.
About the Sculptor:
Alexander Munro [26th October 1825 - 1st January 1871] was a British sculptor of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He concentrated on portraiture and statues but is best known for his Rossetti-influenced figure-group Paolo and Francesca (1852), which has often been identified as the epitome of Pre-Raphaelite sculpture.
Son of a stonemason, his talents were supported by financial assistance from his father's employer, the Duchess of Sutherland. From 1842 he assisted and trained in the Edinburgh studio of the sculptor Alexander Handyside Ritchie. He came to London in 1848 to study sculpture under Charles Barry. At this time he also worked as a mason on the new Palace of Westminster. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1849 to 1870, and in the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Munro was a close associate of Thomas Woolner, the only sculptor to be a member of the original Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was also friendly with Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Munro is significant in the history of the movement since he is often cited as a contributor to the controversy over Pre-Raphaelitism in 1850, when he "leaked" the information that the group formed a secret brotherhood.
In 1854, with Thomas Woolner, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, Edward Burne-Jones, Lowes Cato Dickinson and John Ruskin, Munro began teaching at the newly established Working Men's College.
Munro's sculptures were noted for their formal simplicity. His most famous work was Paolo and Francesca, which was exhibited at the 1851 exhibition. It depicted the lovers as languid, dreamy and genteel, contributing to the popular image of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The final marble version is in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The original plaster version of the sculpture is currently on display in Wallington Hall, which also contains a portrait relief bust of Pauline, Lady Trevelyan created by Munro.
He later created public sculptures in Berkeley Square and Hyde Park Corner, as well as several memorial statues. Six of the seventeen statues of scientists in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History are his work, all produced circa 1860.
Munro suffered from ill health and was struck down by a lung disease which slowly undermined his constitution. In his last years he and his wife lived in Cannes, France for his health,[2] and this is where he died on New Year's Day 1871.
About Josephine Butler:
Josephine Butler [1828-1906] was an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of coverture in British law, the abolition of child prostitution, and an end to human trafficking of young women and children into European prostitution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Butler
She also led the fight against the white slave trade and the campaign for the repeal of the Contagious Disease Acts in Britain and internationally between 1869 to 1886.
In1906 the feminist leader Millicent Fawcett hailed her as "the most distinguished Englishwoman of the nineteenth century" and she was recently voted 18th out of 100 female pioneers ranked from the BBC History Magazine's "100 Women who changed the world" poll [Published: August 9, 2018 see following link] https://www.historyextra.com/100-women/100-women-results/
She and her husband first met Munro in Oxford when he was preparing statues for the Oxford Museum around 1855 and this depiction of Josephine Butler probably dates from around this time.
Antiques.co.uk Ref: W2MD6QUWQ
- Maker/Artist:
- Alexander Munro c.1855
- Materials:
- Plaster in Wood & Glass Frame
- Width (cm):
- 43 (Framed 51)
- Height (cm):
- 56 (Framed 63.5)
- Depth (cm):
- 10
Price: £1,750.00
Please note that this price may NOT include delivery charges which the seller may charge extra for.
