Ending 13th Oct, 2025 19:00
Open House
252
Sir John Robert Steell RSA (1804-1891)
a portrait bust of Rev. John Inglis (1762-1834), carved marble, head turned slightly to dexter, depicted in Roman dress, signed verso 'Jn. Steel Sculpt.' and dated '1852',
39cm wide
29cm deep
58cm high
Provenance: Lady Geraldine Inglis of Glencorse;
thence by descent.
The present bust, signed ‘Jn. Steel Sculpt.’ and dated ‘1852’, forms part of Sir John Steell’s popular mid-career portrait commissions, which were both attainable and sought after in Victorian Scotland. It follows Steell’s standard form and style for portraits of this type, depicting the sitter in classical robes, with a smooth matte surface, and blank, uninscribed eyes. Similar examples can be found in an 1843 marble bust of Thomas Graham, an eminent Scottish chemist, in the collection of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and a portrait of the Reverend Thomas Chalmers from 1846 in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. Despite the timelessness of these depictions, Steell was known to introduce contemporary elements to his portraits to give a real sense of the person behind the sculpture, for example, the realistic treatment of hair as seen in the present work.
The piece is not titled, but most likely depicts the Rev. John Inglis (1762–1834), a distinguished Church of Scotland minister, Moderator of the General Assembly in 1804, and Dean of the Chapel Royal from 1810. There is a close likeness between this sitter and a known portrait of Rev. John Inglis by John Syme (1795-1861), from the collection of Lady Geraldine Inglis of Glencorse. The portrait was reproduced in print by Thomas Hodgetts & Son, and copies exist in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland, as well as the National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum, London. As discussed, Steell was known to present realistic likenesses in his portrait busts, and may have drawn upon these references when creating this piece, almost twenty years after Inglis’s death.
The bust was most likely commissioned by the sitter’s family. It has thence passed by descent through the Inglis family and comes from the collection of Lady Geraldine Inglis of Glencorse, who was married to Sir Roderick John Inglis of Glencorse, 10th Bt., a direct descendant of the Rev. John Inglis. The work is a fine example of both Steell’s portrait bust technique and the cultural milieu of mid-19th-century Scotland.
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Sold for £450
Condition Report
The bust has some pant flecks and dirt residue. Some small nibbles and chips. Marks/dirt. Chip to the front of the robe and old chip to back left edge.
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Auction: Open House, ending 13th Oct, 2025
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Viewing will be held at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE, as follows:
Thursday 9 October, 10am - 3pm
Friday 10 October, 10am - 3pm
Monday 13 October, 10am - 3pm
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