Childhood (A Maid so Young) by William Goscombe John, 1860-1952. 1896. Bronze. 58.4 cm. Collection: Amgueddfa Cymru Caerdydd [National Museum of Wales, Cardiff] Accession number: NMW A 2122. Gift of the sculptor. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
"This four-year old child is Goscombe John's daughter Muriel. The sculpture recalls Italian Renaissance portraits of children, which ofte finish at the chest, A studio photograph of 1896 shows her in the same dress and cap, so these historicising garments actually existed. The sculpture was originally modelled as a full-length plaster figure" (Museum label).
Related Material
- Photograph in the 1897 Academy Architecture and Architectural Review
- Another view
- Childhood (A Maid so Young) — a different work in gilded bronze depicting only head and neck
Photographs by the museum, which retains copyright. formatting by George P. Landow. Readers of the Victorian Web may wish to visit the Museum website.
Bibliography
Academy Architecture and Architectural Review. Ed. Alexander Koch. London: Academy Architecture, 1897. No. 2073 (p. 97). Internet Archive copy from University of Toronto Libraries.
Last modified 28 August 2011