Images(7)

Mrs J. Coutts Michie

Artist Alfred Gilbert (London, England, 1854 - 1934)

Associated Mrs Mary Coutts Michie (Nottingham, England, 1857 - 1945)

Datec.1890

Mediummarble

ClassificationsSculptures

DimensionsOverall: Height: 86 cm, Width: 86 cm, Depth: 56 cm
Weight: 315 kg

AcquisitionPresented in 1919 by the sitter, Mrs J Coutts Michie.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG004626

Keywords

About MeThis marble sculpture of Mrs. J. Coutts Michie (1857-1945) is by British artist Alfred Gilbert (1864-1934). He is considered to be one of the most famous English sculptors of the nineteenth century and a leading figure in the New Sculpture movement which used a variety of metals and stones to create remarkably lifelike images.

Gilbert was an innovative artist - his most famous work is the Shaftsbury Memorial 'Eros' (1919) on Picadilly, London, which is the first recorded instance where aluminum was used in a public sculpture but he worked at an extremely slow pace - exemplified by the forty-nine years it took to complete this elaborate work.

Gilbert first worked out his ideas in clay and experimented with different metals and alloys. The model for this sculpture was the wife of a fellow artist, thus she sympathized with the long process of creating a work. However, his slow work pace resulted in disputes with patrons. This discontent with his employers led to a twenty-five year period of self-exile in Belgium where Gilbert was creatively unproductive.

In 1926, Gilbert returned to London and executed his last important commission, a monument for Queen Alexandra.

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Alfred Gilbert, the creator of "Eros", his life-like images were all the rage; but this work took him 49 years, in which time the model had seriously aged!

Exhibitions

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