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James Craggs was one of the Secretaries of State in the British government and a friend of the poet Alexander Pope, who contributed the epitaph for his monument. The monument itself was designed by the architect James Gibbs and the pose of this figure, cross-legged and leaning on a vase, was the first in eighteenth-century England to derive directly from classical Roman sources – possibly antique statues Gibbs had seen while working in Rome under the architect Carlo Fontana, or perhaps figures reproduced in Montfaucon’s 'L'Antiquité Expliquée' of 1719. The Italian sculptor, Guelfi, although working in England, never met Craggs and had to work from 'two paintings and a print'. Disputes over the quality of the likeness were probably what led to the severing of the face from this terracotta model and its replacement with a wooden detachable face.
The figure was purchased by Soane at the Richard Cosway sale, held by Mr Stanley from 22nd to 24nd May 1821, as lot 47: 'A figure resting on an urn, in terracotta' for £1.1s.
Title
James Craggs the younger (d.1721), Secretary of State
Date
1720s
Medium
terracotta & wood
Measurements
H 49 x W 27 x D 18 cm
Accession number
MP190
Acquisition method
purchased by Sir John Soane, 1821
Work type
Statue