“Portrait Bust of John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell of St Andrews (1779–1861)” by Laurence Macdonald (1799

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John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell of St Andrews (1779–1861)

Laurence Macdonald (1799–1878)

Marble

28 inches high

Inscribed “L. Macdonald fecit Roma 1843” on truncation

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

This bust is demonstrative of both the sculptor's style and skilful technique and is typical of the work that made Laurence Macdonald his name and reputation.

Macdonald was born in Perthshire and apprenticed to a local mason before enrolling in the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh in 1822, Shortly after, he left for Rome. [Continued below]

The Fine Art Society, London, has most generously given its permission to use information, images, and text from its catalogues in the Victorian Web. Copyright remains, of course, with the Fine Art Society. [GPL]

His career flourished in Rome and Macdonald spent most of his life there, eventu- ally taking over the studio of Bertel Thorvaldsen after his death in 1844. Despite remaining highly regarded” by his Scottish countrymen, Rome allowed Macdonald to indulge his prefer- ence for 'The Ideal' and refine his neoclassical technique away from the more realist trends which began to predominate in Britain at this time. Earning himself the moniker, ‘The Scottish Canova’, he became the favourite of British and American tourists on their Grand Tour whose trip would have been considered incomplete without having their likeness immortalised in marble.

This sculpture depicts one such sitter, John Campbell, the first Baron Campbell of St Andrews. A highly ambitious individual, Campbell tenaciously pursued a successful career in law, becoming Lord Chief Justice of England and Lord Chancellor. His biographers record him as being rather self-aggrandising and so it is of little surprise that he sought out an established and fashionable artist like Macdonald to record his likeness in a heroic, classicised manner. Here, Macdonald seems to strike a balance between realism and the ideal, depicting Campbell in a Hellenistic toga but with a Regency hairstyle. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, extravagant powdered wigs were replaced with artfully dishevelled hair and sideburns, denoting Campbell as a fashionable man of society but also one of substance. Likewise, his facial features remain perceptively idiosyncratic and distinctive as opposed to overly idealised. A flattering depiction, the serious Campbell would have been pleased with Macdonald’s representation that has an air of gravitas and power, becoming of a stern law reformer.

Formatting and image scan by George P. Landow 2007. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL.]

Bibliography

Five Centuries of Scottish Portraiture. Exhibition Catalogue. Edinburgh: Bourne Fine Art; London: The Fine Art Society, 2011. No. 18, pp. 44-45.

Last modified 27 September 20117