Object Description
A 19th century terracotta depiction of a shepherd boy based on the marble statue by late 18th/early 19th century Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvalsden. This terracotta statue once resided in the gardens of Knedlington Manor, East Yorkshire. Built in the early 1840s by Thomas Clarke, the manor was designed in the Tudor style by Weightman and Hadfield of Sheffield, consisting of 33 period rooms alongside expansive formal grounds. In later years, the estate was bought by the 5th Earl of Yarborough who in turn passed it on to his daughter Lady Diana Miller in the early 20thcentury. In the 1950s, Knedlington Manor was demolished. This antique statue was located in the gardens at this time and given to the residents of the on-site housekeeper’s cottage.
Heavily weathered, this antique terracotta stone statue has significant losses especially to the limbs. However, what does remain of the statue is fairly well preserved with details to the torso and head still in-tact. The shepherd boy sits on a sheepskin as he does in the marble original. While this statue once resided outside, plaster restorations to the lower plinth mean that it would now require placement under shelter such as a roofed courtyard or alternatively indoors.
Bertel Thorvalsden
Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvalsden (1770-1844) lived most of his life in Rome, Italy. He was prominent in Roman intellectual and artistic circles, famed for his classical sculpting style often inspired by themes from the bible or ancient mythology. His shepherds boy statue in marble from which this terracotta depiction is based on sees the boy sat on a sheepskin as he is here but with a crook in his left hand and a dog sitting to his right. It is currently displayed at The Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen, dedicated to showcasing the work of this talented neoclassic, classical sculptor.