Bust
Entry ID
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42 (12/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Bust
Description of the sculpture
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White marble bust of a young boy, wearing a jacket of a style that suggests he may be a servant. He also wears a large medallion around his neck depicting the profile of a man.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Bust – Portrait
Base
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Base present - may be a later replacement
Dimensions
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Height: 37 cm
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Width: 23 cm
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Depth: 14.5 cm
Materials
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Marble – white
Specific techniques used
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Carving
Overall colour
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Monochrome – white
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: generic/idealised type
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Anonymous: specific individual but not currently identifiable
Attributes
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Large (gold?) chain
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portrait medallion with classicizing male profile
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Male
Age
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Child
Status
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Servant
Clothing
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Wearing clothes – European/Western clothing
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Unfocussed/blank eyeballs
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Eighteenth century (1700-1799)
Date of Production
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c. 1705-1710
Date inferred from
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Inferred from stylistic features
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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A.18-1913
Provenance history
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Bequeathed to the Victoria and Albert Museum by E. S. Clarke Esq.
Notes
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This bust is attributed to Joannes (Jan) Claudius de Cock due to similarities in style with a sculpture of a standing boy in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, which is signed 'JOANNES CLAUD DE COC ... Anno 1704'. There are nine other similar marble busts of infants known by Jan Claudius de Cock, or possibly by contemporary artists inspired by his work. The expression varies between each bust and the medallion worn around the neck depicts a different male profile or a coat of arms. At present, it is unclear whether this bust is intended to represent a specific individual or rather a 'type' of person.
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Bust of a Boy | Related objects | E22 Man-Made Object |
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/39, . (no date) ‘Bust’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/412
