Bust of a Man Francis Harwood British, 1758 27 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches
With experience copying classical antique sculptures in Florence, Francis Harwood created this exceptional sculpture which combined the elements of classical sculpture with the subject of a more modern (1700s) Black individual – a subject we do not frequently have the privilege of seeing.
In fact, this noble bust by Francis Harwood is one of the earliest known sculptures of an African by a western European artist since antiquity. There is some speculation that it could be representing Memnon, king of the Ethiopians in Greek mythology, but no one seems to be certain. Although the sitter is unknown, details like the scar on his face, the small ears, and the bags and creases under his eyes suggest that this is a portrait of a specific individual. The specificity and personality of this man distinguishes this sculpture from the decorative and generalized busts of Africans in exotic costumes that were commonly produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
value range adjusted from original photo to show more detail
[image_with_animation image_url=”8351″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Antoni Tapies, a Catalan painter (1923-2012) added texture to modern abstraction with his mixed material canvasses. His works are defined by the word ‘materico.’ Tapies created new languages around simple objects and rough textures, “unlocking the poetry possible in a sock.” (Huffington Post) Materico: Italian, adopted into english. Textured, …
[image_with_animation image_url=”6062″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] The Met: 1,600 Free Art Books Online With an art historical focus, this comprehensive collection of over 1,600 full-text titles features everything from African to American art. Like traditional print editions, nearly every online art book features a table of contents and information about the author. Unlike hardcopies, however, the Met’s free online book also …
Teaching an online class with the League this fall: Jonathan Harkham. Jonathan is another professional artist/instructor we found at the New York Studio School where he is an alumni and instructor. Currently under quarantine in his LA studio, Jonathan has shifted his attention from painting friends and live models to painting a series of 80’s …
Peter Laurent de Francia 1921 – 19 2012) was an Italian British artist. Influenced by nineteenth-century socialist painters such as Gustave Courbet and Honoré Daumier, as well as by socially committed artists of his time such as Renato Guttuso and Pablo Picasso, de Francia created artworks with a drive for social change. Peter de Francia wrote about the work of artist Fernand …
Bust of a Man
Francis Harwood
British, 1758
27 1/2 x 19 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches
With experience copying classical antique sculptures in Florence, Francis Harwood created this exceptional sculpture which combined the elements of classical sculpture with the subject of a more modern (1700s) Black individual – a subject we do not frequently have the privilege of seeing.
In fact, this noble bust by Francis Harwood is one of the earliest known sculptures of an African by a western European artist since antiquity. There is some speculation that it could be representing Memnon, king of the Ethiopians in Greek mythology, but no one seems to be certain. Although the sitter is unknown, details like the scar on his face, the small ears, and the bags and creases under his eyes suggest that this is a portrait of a specific individual. The specificity and personality of this man distinguishes this sculpture from the decorative and generalized busts of Africans in exotic costumes that were commonly produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Related Posts
Materico: unlocking the poetry possible in a sock
[image_with_animation image_url=”8351″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Antoni Tapies, a Catalan painter (1923-2012) added texture to modern abstraction with his mixed material canvasses. His works are defined by the word ‘materico.’ Tapies created new languages around simple objects and rough textures, “unlocking the poetry possible in a sock.” (Huffington Post) Materico: Italian, adopted into english. Textured, …
Bored at work? Read art books online!
[image_with_animation image_url=”6062″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] The Met: 1,600 Free Art Books Online With an art historical focus, this comprehensive collection of over 1,600 full-text titles features everything from African to American art. Like traditional print editions, nearly every online art book features a table of contents and information about the author. Unlike hardcopies, however, the Met’s free online book also …
Coming to the League: Jonathan Harkham
Teaching an online class with the League this fall: Jonathan Harkham. Jonathan is another professional artist/instructor we found at the New York Studio School where he is an alumni and instructor. Currently under quarantine in his LA studio, Jonathan has shifted his attention from painting friends and live models to painting a series of 80’s …
Peter de Francia
Peter Laurent de Francia 1921 – 19 2012) was an Italian British artist. Influenced by nineteenth-century socialist painters such as Gustave Courbet and Honoré Daumier, as well as by socially committed artists of his time such as Renato Guttuso and Pablo Picasso, de Francia created artworks with a drive for social change. Peter de Francia wrote about the work of artist Fernand …