William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806)

Joseph Nollekens

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This bust of the brilliant Parliamentarian who served as prime minister through most of the reign of George III was originally modeled after a death mask. The face of the proud orator is marked by the fatigue and distress of his final years, when England was menaced by a relentless tide of Napoleonic victories. The success of this vivid portrayal led Nollekens to replicate it numerous times.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art