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Bust (sculpture)

April 21, 2023

A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. The bust is generally a portrait intended to record the appearance of an individual, but may sometimes represent a type. They may be of any medium used for sculpture, such as marble, bronze, terracotta, plaster, wax or wood.

Bust of Augustus; c. 25 BC; marble; height: 83.5 cm, width: 83.5 cm; Louvre-Lens (Lens, France)
Bust, probably of Georgiana Bingham; carved in c. 1821/1824; Carrara marble; overall without base: 52.39 x 27.31 x 22.86 cm; National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.)

As a format that allows the most distinctive characteristics of an individual to be depicted with much less work, and therefore expense, and occupying far less space than a full-length statue, the bust has been since ancient times a popular style of life-size portrait sculpture. It can also be executed in weaker materials, such as terracotta.

A sculpture that only includes the head, perhaps with the neck, is more strictly called a "head", but this distinction is not always observed. Display often involves an integral or separate display stand. The Adiyogi Shiva statue located in India representative of Hindu God Shiva is the world's largest bust sculpture and is 112 ft tall.

History

Antiquity

Sculptural portrait heads from classical antiquity, stopping at the neck, are sometimes displayed as busts. However, these are often fragments from full-body statues, or were created to be inserted into an existing body, a common Roman practice;[1] these portrait heads are not included in this article. Equally, sculpted heads stopping at the neck are sometimes mistakenly called busts.

The portrait bust was a Hellenistic Greek invention (although the Egyptian bust presented below precedes Hellenic productions by five centuries), though very few original Greek examples survive, as opposed to many Roman copies of them. There are four Roman copies as busts of Pericles with the Corinthian helmet, but the Greek original was a full-length bronze statue. They were very popular in Roman portraiture.[2]

The Roman tradition may have originated in the tradition of Roman patrician families keeping wax masks, perhaps death masks, of dead members, in the atrium of the family house. When another family member died, these were worn by people chosen for the appropriate build in procession at the funeral, in front of the propped-up body of the deceased, as an "astonished" Polybius reported, from his long stay in Rome beginning in 167 BC.[3] Later these seem to have been replaced or supplemented by sculptures. Possession of such imagines maiorum ("portraits of the ancestors") was a requirement for belonging to the Equestrian order.[4]

Middle Ages

Some reliquaries were formed as busts, notably the famous Bust of Charlemagne in gold, still in the Aachen Cathedral treasury, from c. 1350. Otherwise it was a rare format.

Renaissance

Busts began to be revived in a variety of materials, including painted terracotta or wood, and marble. Initially most were flat-bottomed, stopping slightly below the shoulders. Francesco Laurana, born in Dalmatia, but who worked in Italy and France, specialized in marble busts, mostly of women.

Baroque

The round-bottomed Roman style, including, or designed to be placed on, a socle (a short plinth or pedestal), became most common. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, based in Rome, did portrait busts of popes, cardinals, and foreign monarchs such as Louis XIV. His Bust of King Charles I of England (1638) is now lost; artist and subject never met, and Bernini worked from the triple portrait painted by Van Dyck, which was sent to Rome. Nearly 30 years later, his Bust of the young Louis XIV was hugely influential on French sculptors. Bernini's rival Alessandro Algardi was another leading sculptor in Rome.

Pictorial timeline

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Stewart, 47
  2. ^ Stewart, 46-47
  3. ^ Belting, 116-117
  4. ^ Belting, 116
  5. ^ Previously known as The Blackamoor.

References

  • Belting, Hans, An Anthropology of Images: Picture, Medium, Body, 2014, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691160961, 9780691160962, google books
  • Stewart, Peter, Statues in Roman Society: Representation and Response, 2003, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0199240949, 9780199240944, google books

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to busts.
 
Look up bust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • Livius.org: Bust gallery of famous ancient Greeks
  • Dictionary.com definition

April 21, 2023
bust, sculpture, bust, sculpted, cast, representation, upper, part, human, figure, depicting, person, head, neck, variable, portion, chest, shoulders, piece, normally, supported, plinth, bust, generally, portrait, intended, record, appearance, individual, some. A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure depicting a person s head and neck and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders The piece is normally supported by a plinth The bust is generally a portrait intended to record the appearance of an individual but may sometimes represent a type They may be of any medium used for sculpture such as marble bronze terracotta plaster wax or wood Bust of Augustus c 25 BC marble height 83 5 cm width 83 5 cm Louvre Lens Lens France Bust probably of Georgiana Bingham carved in c 1821 1824 Carrara marble overall without base 52 39 x 27 31 x 22 86 cm National Gallery of Art Washington D C As a format that allows the most distinctive characteristics of an individual to be depicted with much less work and therefore expense and occupying far less space than a full length statue the bust has been since ancient times a popular style of life size portrait sculpture It can also be executed in weaker materials such as terracotta A sculpture that only includes the head perhaps with the neck is more strictly called a head but this distinction is not always observed Display often involves an integral or separate display stand The Adiyogi Shiva statue located in India representative of Hindu God Shiva is the world s largest bust sculpture and is 112 ft tall Contents 1 History 1 1 Antiquity 1 2 Middle Ages 1 3 Renaissance 1 4 Baroque 2 Pictorial timeline 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditAntiquity Edit Sculptural portrait heads from classical antiquity stopping at the neck are sometimes displayed as busts However these are often fragments from full body statues or were created to be inserted into an existing body a common Roman practice 1 these portrait heads are not included in this article Equally sculpted heads stopping at the neck are sometimes mistakenly called busts The portrait bust was a Hellenistic Greek invention although the Egyptian bust presented below precedes Hellenic productions by five centuries though very few original Greek examples survive as opposed to many Roman copies of them There are four Roman copies as busts of Pericles with the Corinthian helmet but the Greek original was a full length bronze statue They were very popular in Roman portraiture 2 The Roman tradition may have originated in the tradition of Roman patrician families keeping wax masks perhaps death masks of dead members in the atrium of the family house When another family member died these were worn by people chosen for the appropriate build in procession at the funeral in front of the propped up body of the deceased as an astonished Polybius reported from his long stay in Rome beginning in 167 BC 3 Later these seem to have been replaced or supplemented by sculptures Possession of such imagines maiorum portraits of the ancestors was a requirement for belonging to the Equestrian order 4 Middle Ages Edit Some reliquaries were formed as busts notably the famous Bust of Charlemagne in gold still in the Aachen Cathedral treasury from c 1350 Otherwise it was a rare format Renaissance Edit Busts began to be revived in a variety of materials including painted terracotta or wood and marble Initially most were flat bottomed stopping slightly below the shoulders Francesco Laurana born in Dalmatia but who worked in Italy and France specialized in marble busts mostly of women Baroque Edit The round bottomed Roman style including or designed to be placed on a socle a short plinth or pedestal became most common Gian Lorenzo Bernini based in Rome did portrait busts of popes cardinals and foreign monarchs such as Louis XIV His Bust of King Charles I of England 1638 is now lost artist and subject never met and Bernini worked from the triple portrait painted by Van Dyck which was sent to Rome Nearly 30 years later his Bust of the young Louis XIV was hugely influential on French sculptors Bernini s rival Alessandro Algardi was another leading sculptor in Rome Pictorial timeline Edit Bust of Nefertiti by Thutmose limestone c 1345 BC Lady of Elche limestone Iberian 4th century BC Pericles with the Corinthian helmet marble Roman after a Greek original c 430 BC Bronze bust of Lucius Junius Brutus the Capitoline Brutus late 4th century BC to early 3rd century BC The Empress Vibia Sabina c 130 AD Emperor Commodus dressed as Hercules c 191 AD in the late imperial baroque style Roman bust c 193 203 in the Venice National Archaeological Museum Bust of Jayavarman VII c 1181 1218 in the Guimet Museum Reliquary bust of Charlemagne gold Aachen Cathedral treasury c 1350 Francesco Laurana A Princess of the House of Aragon c 1475 Giuliano de Medici by Andrea del Verrocchio terracotta 1475 85 Terracotta bust of Henry VII of England by Pietro Torrigiano Jakob Fugger the Rich by Conrat Meit polychrome wood c 1515 Reliquary of a saint oak paint gilding 1520 30 Charles V King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor by Leone and Pompeo Leoni bronze 1553 Museo del Prado Terracotta modello by Alessandro Algardi of Cardinal Paolo Emilio Zacchia c 1650 Ramchandra Pant Amatya the Finance Minister of the Maratha Empire 1674 1689 Jules Hardouin Mansart by Jean Louis Lemoyne marble 1703 Menshikov by Rastrelli 1717 Bust of a Man 5 from the studio of Francis Harwood black limestone c 1758 King George III 1767 CE Simplicity of the Highest Degree ninth in a series of character heads by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt alabaster after 1770 Etienne Vincent Marniola by Joseph Chinard terracotta 1809 Bust of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil by Marc Ferrez bronze 1826 Chief Beshekee by Francis Vincenti marble 1855 56 The Veiled Nun marble c 1863 Mater Dolorosa by Jean Baptiste Carpeaux terracotta 1869 70 Tsar Alexander II by Ivan Fedorovitch Kovchenkov malachite the stand and bronze 1873 J V Snellman by Johannes Takanen at the Snellman Park in Kuopio 1886 Viktor Nessler by Alfred Marzolff bronze 1890s Jeanne Granier by Francis de Saint Vidal late 19th century Faduma Ali wife of Prince Luigi Amedeo Duke of the Abruzzi Italian Somaliland c 1920s Keys To Community featuring Benjamin Franklin by James Peniston 2007 See also EditHerma PortraitNotes Edit Stewart 47 Stewart 46 47 Belting 116 117 Belting 116 Previously known as The Blackamoor References EditBelting Hans An Anthropology of Images Picture Medium Body 2014 Princeton University Press ISBN 0691160961 9780691160962 google books Stewart Peter Statues in Roman Society Representation and Response 2003 Oxford University Press ISBN 0199240949 9780199240944 google booksExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to busts Look up bust in Wiktionary the free dictionary Livius org Bust gallery of famous ancient Greeks Oxford definition Dictionary com definition Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bust sculpture amp oldid 1144409468, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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