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Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury RA (British, 1856-1944): A bronzed patinated plaster bust of 'The Age of Innocence' image 1
Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury RA (British, 1856-1944): A bronzed patinated plaster bust of 'The Age of Innocence' image 2
Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury RA (British, 1856-1944): A bronzed patinated plaster bust of 'The Age of Innocence' image 3
Lot 143

Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury RA (British, 1856-1944): A bronzed patinated plaster bust of 'The Age of Innocence'

1 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£600 - £800

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Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury RA (British, 1856-1944): A bronzed patinated plaster bust of 'The Age of Innocence'

The sitter modelled as a young girl with an upswept coiffure, looking slightly to dexter, the bodice of her dress with square cut decollete and puffed sleeves, on integral swept rectangular bow-fronted base, signed and dated within the case A DRURY 00 and raised on a conforming shallow wood plinth base, 41cm high, 28cm wide, 13cm deep

Footnotes

Gracie Doncaster, the daughter of a friend of the Drury served as the model for this bust. Art historian Benedict Read recognised the work as a significant example of the late 19th-century English New Sculpture movement. Drury's original plaster model dating from around 1896 likely served as the prototype for subsequent marble and bronze versions.

A plaster cast is held in the Victorian & Albert Museum (London). Bronze casts are held in the Laing Art Gallery (Newcastle), Manchester City Art Gallery, and the Harris Museum (Preston). Marble versions are located in Cartwright Hall (Bradford) and Blackburn Museum.

Owing to the bust's popular acclaim, several editions of bronzed plaster reductions were produced to meet public demand. This particular piece is probably one such example, perhaps dating from around the turn of the century.

Additional information

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