Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison

ca. 1707

David le Marchand French, 1674 - 1726

On View

British, Level 3, South Wing

Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison

Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison: 1 of Collection Gallery

Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison: 2 of Collection Gallery

Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison: 3 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

In this diminutive ivory bust, the sculptor has given his subject — identified as the British essayist and philosopher Joseph Addison (1672 – 1719) — a monumental presence. Intricate details, such as the curls of the wig and the minute carving of the buttons and drapery folds of the sitter’s shirt, display David Le Marchand’s prodigious talent and bravura carving. Le Marchand, a Huguenot artist who fled France first to Edinburgh and then London, became the foremost ivory sculptor in eighteenth-century Britain, where he established a successful ivory business. This is a rare example of Le Marchand’s work in an American collection, as his ivory sculptures are rarely found outside Britain.

Title Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison

Artwork Date ca. 1707

Artist David le Marchand

Life Dates 1674 - 1726

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. French

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Ivory

Dimensions Overall: 10 1/2 × 6 × 3 inches (26.7 × 15.2 × 7.6 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Museum Purchase, Joseph M. de Grimme Memorial Fund, funds from Stanford Stoddard, Gilbert B. and Lila Silverman, and Visiting Committee for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts in honor of Alan Darr; gift of Mrs. Horace E. Dodge, by exchange

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2003.1

Markings

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Provenance

(Daniel Katz, dealer)

2003-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Darr, A. P. and B. Gallagher. "Recent acquisitions (2000-2006) of European sculpture and decorative arts at The Detroit Institute of Arts." The Burlington Magazine 149 (June 2007): 452, pl. X (ill.).

Darr, A. P. "Virtuoso Carving: Three Eighteenth-Century British Portrait Sculptures by Le Marchand, Roubiliac, and Chaffers.” Bulletin of the DIA 83, no. 1/4 (2009): 42-4, fig. 1.

You, Yao-Fen. “From Novelty to Necessity: The Europeanization of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.” In Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate: Consuming the World, ed. Yao-Fen You, Mimi Hellman, and Hope Saska. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2016, p. 29; 32 (ill.); 130–131, cat. 22.

Bulletin of the DIA: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015 89, no. 1/4 (2015): p. 20 (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

David le Marchand, Bust of a Gentleman, possibly Joseph Addison, ca. 1707, ivory. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Joseph M. de Grimme Memorial Fund, funds from Stanford Stoddard, et al., 2003.1.