Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Lot 46*,TP
John Gibson (British, 1791 - 1866): A carved white marble bust of Lucy Charlotte Jervis (née Baskervyle-Glegg), 3rd Viscountess Saint
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£7,000 - £10,000
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Helena Gumley
Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries
John Gibson (British, 1791 - 1866): A carved white marble bust of Lucy Charlotte Jervis (née Baskervyle-Glegg), 3rd Viscountess Saint
The sitter modelled 'A la Grec' looking slightly to sinister, her bare shoulders clad in diaphanous classical drapery, her hair arranged in a coiled chignon with two spiralling long curls, dressed with a bandeau centred by a flower-head, on integral moulded bow front rectangular socle, the rear signed I GIBSON FT ROMAE, seated on a pink scagliola pedestal of plain column form, on moulded socle base raised on a later ebonised wooden square shallow plinth base, The bust: 65cm high, 43cm wide, 26cm deep; the pedestal 116cm high overall, top 30cm diameter, the plinth base 42cm wide, 42cm deep (2)
Footnotes
Provenance
Carnegie Robert Jervis, 3rd Viscount St Vincent (1825–1879)
John Leveson Jervis, 4th Viscount St Vincent (1850–1885)
Carnegie Parker Jervis, 5th Viscount St Vincent (1855–1908)
Ronald Clarges Jervis, 6th Viscount St Vincent (1859–1940)
Ronald James Jervis, 7th Viscount St Vincent (1905–2006)
Edward Jervis, 8th Viscount St Vincent (1951– 2023), and thence to the present owners
Carnegie Robert Jervis, 3rd Viscount St Vincent, married Lucy Charlotte Jervis, 3rd Viscountess St Vincent (née Lucy Charlotte Baskervyle-Glegg), in 1848. The couple had three children. According to family tradition, the bust was commissioned prior to her marriage, when Lucy was around 18. This is confirmed in John Gibson's Personal Accounts, 1822–59 (Volume III) held in the archives of the Royal Academy of Arts Library, where an entry is recorded in 1843 under 'new coms (commissions)' as 'Miss Glegg's bust', £8 0 – Paid'. In addition, her father is also recorded as having ordered a further work (perhaps a reduction of one of his 'fancy' busts), as the entry below is marked, 'Mr Glegg, Helen, £4 0 – Paid'. As Gibson's account books were most likely kept in his studio in Rome, it seems probable that the family visited Rome on a tour of Italy. As such, the commission was possibly made to mark her entry into society, given young ladies were typically aged around 18 years or 19 years old when they were formally launched through the 'coming out' ritual during the summer social 'Season' in the first half of the 19th century.
The 'coming out' process, held during the summer social Season, involved participation in a series of events including balls, parties, and outings, with the highlight being a formal presentation to the monarch. The main purpose of the ritual was to introduce young ladies to eligible bachelors and their families, with the expectation of marriage within the same social circles.
John Gibson was one of the foremost Neoclassical sculptors of the 19th century. After moving from Conway to Liverpool in 1799, Gibson was first apprenticed to a cabinetmaker before joining the workshop of F. A. Legé. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1816 and moved to Rome the following year, where he attracted the attention of both Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen. From Rome, he built up an international clientele for his marbles, and his studio became a destination for wealthy tourists visiting the Eternal City.