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John Warrington Wood, 'Sir Austen Henry Layard', 1881

About the work

Overview

Austen Henry Layard (1817–1894) commissioned this marble bust of himself from the sculptor John Warrington Wood in Rome in 1881. It was remodelled from a bust sculpted by Wood in London in 1869, which was exhibited the following year at the Royal Academy. Layard was not pleased with the original bust so had this version made 12 years later. It is chiselled ‘AUSTEN HENRY LAYARD’ across the front.

Layard’s archaeological excavations in Assyria made his name while he was still only in his early thirties. Most of his massive finds from Nimrud and Nineveh now form the greater part of the British Museum’s collection of Assyrian antiquities.

He entered Parliament and held Cabinet office; served as ambassador in Madrid and Constantinople; became a Trustee of the National Gallery; and built up a large collection of paintings, mainly of works by Italian artists, most of which he bequeathed to the National Gallery.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Sir Austen Henry Layard
Artist dates
1839 - 1886
Date made
1881
Medium and support
marble, carved
Dimensions
64 × 37 × 25.5 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated and inscribed
Acquisition credit
Presented by Vice-Admiral Arthur John Layard Murray, 1943
Inventory number
NG5449
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main 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.

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