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Description: | The University's collection of marble busts consists primarily of figures connected to the University. Most are of former Principals and Professors. The majority of the busts in the collection are nineteenth century and many are in the psuedo-classical style popular at that time. The sculptors represented here include some of the most prominent of that era. One such sculptor is William Brodie (1815–81), famous for his work in Edinburgh on the statue of Amy Robsart on the Scott Monument and for the bronze of Greyfriars Bobby. He is responsible for a number of busts in the collection, including those of Sir James Young Simpson. Simpson was Professor of Midwifery at the University, from 1840-1870 and is renowned for his work in anaesthetics and obstetrics. Several of the busts in the collection are by Scottish sculptor Sir John Steell (1804-1891) who was one of the leading Victorian monumental sculptors in the 19th century. He was a member of the Royal Scottish Academy, Sculptor to the Queen in Scotland and the creator of the seated marble figure of Sir Walter Scott at the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.
Samuel Joseph (1791 - 1850) was an English sculptor known for his portrait busts of the intellectual elite. He favoured a naturalistic and individualized style which can be seen in several of his works in this collection.
The collection also includes a bust of John Playfair, who was a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, by English sculptor, Sir Francis Chantry (1781 – 1841), one of the most outstanding sculptors of his generation. Some busts in the collection are not attributed, including that of the novelist Sir Walter Scott, who attended Edinburgh University from 1783, although illness prevented the completion of his studies. Some more recent commissions include the bust of the chancellor, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and that of the former principal, Lord Sutherland. Both were commissioned from Vincent Butler, one of Britain's leading figurative sculptors. | Subjects: | Marble; Figures Fine Art; Sculpture 1800-present; Busts; Sculptors; | Source: | University of Edinburgh | Address: | Old College, South Bridge,
EH8 9YL | Creator: | University of Edinburgh | Contributor: | The majority of the busts were directly commissioned by the University. | Identifier: | http://hdl.handle.net/10683/298... | Relation: | http://hdl.handle.net/10683/315 | Go to resource |
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