Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852)

Sir Francis Chantrey

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wellington led the British forces to victory over Napoleon in the battle of Waterloo. Although this idealized portrait is carved in the classical mode (all'antica), with bared neck and blank eyes, the proud display of the military hero's dramatic profile sounds a clearly romantic note as well. This bust, the first marble example, was carved for the Earl of Liverpool. Chantrey went on to produce versions for the duke himself, the king, and many others.

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