The composer in his prime
By the late 1730s, composer George Frideric Handel had already received considerable public acclaim and success in England. After writing the music for George II’s coronation in 1727, Handel’s career blossomed. By this time, although still to complete his English oratorios, he had composed more than 40 Italian operas. After suffering a minor stroke in 1737, Handel went on to compose several more major works.
French sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac created four portraits of Handel over the course of his career, beginning with a full-sized marble statue, now in the V&A, of the composer in 1738, made for the Spring Gardens at Vauxhall. London’s positive reaction to this work made Roubiliac a star. The following year, Handel himself commissioned Roubiliac, and sat for a portrait.
This terracotta bust, currently located within the Foundling Museum’s Picture Gallery, was created as a model of Roubiliac’s final white marble bust, now in the Royal Collection. This bust was meant for Handel’s own private collection and was kept inside his home on Brook Street. In the terracotta bust, Handel wears a tousled cloak, pleated shirt, and a lop-sided, tasselled cap. These are working clothes. Roubiliac’s portrait depicts Handel as an artist still in his prime, with his most impressive works yet to come.
When Handel died in 1759, Roubiliac was entrusted with making a funerary monument for his tomb. This monument was erected two years later inside Westminster Abbey, Handel’s final resting place. A model for this work can be seen in the Museum’s Introductory Gallery.
About the artist
Roubiliac was born in Lyons, France in 1702. After training under sculptors in Dresden and Paris, the artist settled permanently in London in 1730. He worked out of a studio on St Martin’s Lane, where he very likely socialised with Handel, Hogarth, and other prominent figures associated with the Foundling Hospital. Today, Roubiliac is one of the most prominent rococo sculptors of the 18th century, especially celebrated for his detailed and energetic bust portraits.
