John Charles Felix Rossi, 'Relief of the Duke of Wellington', 1826-32
About the work
Overview
This bust of the Duke of Wellington, Britain’s most successful general during the Napoleonic Wars, was intended to adorn the top of John Nash’s Marble Arch, where it would have been placed inside a wreath supported by personifications of Europe and Asia. Nash’s project was reduced as it ran into financial difficulties and some of the completed sculptures were later incorporated into the National Gallery’s new building. The wreath and figures were installed above the Gallery’s Portico Entrance but, as the Gallery’s architect, William Wilkins, thought the bust of Wellington was too martial, it was instead placed at the back of the Gallery, overlooking the barracks yard that once occupied that site, until it was moved to its current position inside the Gallery’s West Entrance following the barracks’ demolition in the early 20th century.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Relief of the Duke of Wellington
- Artist
- John Charles Felix Rossi
- Artist dates
- 1762 - 1839
- Date made
- 1826-32
- Medium and support
- Unidentified
- Acquisition credit
- Commissioned by the Office of Works for the Marble Arch, and installed on the Gallery by 1838
- Inventory number
- H206
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Contextual Collection
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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