Statues of Francis Bacon

[A Phoenix]

Statue at South Square Gray's Inn

I’m sure we are all aware of the beautiful Francis Bacon statue in bronze by sculptor Frederick William Pomeroy unveiled 27^th June 1912 at South Square Gray’s Inn.

In Francis Bacon The Commemoration of his Tercentenary at Gray’s Inn (London: Printed at the Chiswick Press by order of the Masters of the Bench For Private Circulation, 1913) is a wonderful image of this statue that seems to be in marble? Is this another version or blueprint of what now stands at Gray’s Inn.? It is very similar in many ways although facially it does appear to be a little different.

This version also appears in 1911 Pall Mall Magazine (so prior to a version being unveiled at Gray’s Inn)

https://archive.org/details/picturesof1911pa00lond/page/118/mode/2up?view=theater

[A Phoenix]

Statue at Burlington House, The Royal Academy of Arts

Another most wonderful and probably little known statue is in a niche at The Royal Academy of Arts. This is probably the Great One in younger days but I believe captures him perfectly, especially the eyes.

Statue of Sir Francis Bacon by William Theed, Jr., 1869, in one of the ground-story niches on the right-hand side of The Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, 6 Burlington Gardens, W1, London. Photograph by Magdolna and Istvan Hargittai, in Stephen F. Mason, Structural Chemist and Historian of Science—a centenary remembrance

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Statue-of-Sir-Francis-Bacon-by-William-Theed-Jr-1869-in-one-of-the-ground-story_fig3_363256406

[Eric Roberts]

1 hour ago, A Phoenix said:

Statue at South Square Gray's Inn

I’m sure we are all aware of the beautiful Francis Bacon statue in bronze by sculptor Frederick William Pomeroy unveiled 27^th June 1912 at South Square Gray’s Inn.

In Francis Bacon The Commemoration of his Tercentenary at Gray’s Inn (London: Printed at the Chiswick Press by order of the Masters of the Bench For Private Circulation, 1913) is a wonderful image of this statue that seems to be in marble? Is this another version or blueprint of what now stands at Gray’s Inn.? It is very similar in many ways although facially it does appear to be a little different.

This version also appears in 1911 Pall Mall Magazine (so prior to a version being unveiled at Gray’s Inn)

https://archive.org/details/picturesof1911pa00lond/page/118/mode/2up?view=theater

I know very little about sculpture, but the marble and bronze look almost identical to me. Perhaps someone commissioned Pomeroy, having seen the Gray's Inn statue, to create a marble copy for their villa? During the late-Victorian, early Edwardian periods, F W Pomeroy seems to have been the go to guy if you want a large scale statue of a famous historical figure to grace your stately home or add prestige to an august institution. Extraordinary skill in terms of carving and casting.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Eric Roberts

[A Phoenix]

We too know very little about sculpture. Like you say maybe the marble version is in someone's stately home somewhere - certainly a statement piece!!🙂♥️

[Eric Roberts]

3 minutes ago, A Phoenix said:

We too know very little about sculpture. Like you say maybe the marble version is in someone's stately home somewhere - certainly a statement piece!!🙂♥️

Can anyone enlighten me regarding the significance of the roses on Francis's shoes which appear on all three examples of Victorian sculpture? I've read somewhere that they symbolised his role as the founder of Rosicrucianism, but was decorating your shoes with flowers a common 'thing' amongst early-17th Century gentlemen, or was this unique to FB? Surely, at court or Gray's Inn, such a flamboyant fashion statement-cum-secret symbol would have attracted considerable attention.

[A Phoenix]

In the case of Lord Bacon not only was he a member of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood but the roses on his shoes is to signify that he was the Founding Father of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, which was the intention of his private secretary and Fellow Brethren Sir Thomas Meautys with the roses on the Statue of FB in St Michael's Church. 

It could be that later representation of Bacon allegorically  include the roses but whether he wore them in his lifetime is unknown and perhaps like you say would attract attention.

[Eric Roberts]

1 minute ago, A Phoenix said:

In the case of Lord Bacon not only was he a member of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood but the roses on his shoes is to signify that he was the Founding Father of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, which was the intention of his private secretary and Fellow Brethren Sir Thomas Meautys with the roses on the Statue of FB in St Michael's Church. 

It could be that later representation of Bacon allegorically  include the roses but whether he wore them in his lifetime is unknown and perhaps like you say would attract attention.

Got It! 🙂

[Allisnum2er]

Regarding Francis Bacon and the Roses on his Buckle Shoes, here is a part of something I am working on ...

https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/facsimile/book/SLNSW_F1/776/index.html%3Fzoom=850.html

About ORMUS :

http://gyllenegryningen.blogspot.com/2008/08/rosicrucian-myth-of-ormus.html

About "Rac'd Shooes"

https://books.google.fr/books?id=sJkNAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=roses+on+my+raz'd+shoes&source=bl&ots=CuwQ_5XdDq&sig=ACfU3U32h0rtHG1wXrnY35fezYZ1nDoN4A&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibu_OW6dP6AhWZhM4BHe0UCzY4ChDoAXoECBgQAw#v=onepage&q=roses on my raz'd shoes&f=false

[Light-of-Truth]

As I go to bed to wake up early...

[Eric Roberts]

6 hours ago, Allisnum2er said:

Regarding Francis Bacon and the Roses on his Buckle Shoes, here is a part of something I am working on ...

https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/facsimile/book/SLNSW_F1/776/index.html%3Fzoom=850.html

About ORMUS :

http://gyllenegryningen.blogspot.com/2008/08/rosicrucian-myth-of-ormus.html

About "Rac'd Shooes"

https://books.google.fr/books?id=sJkNAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=roses+on+my+raz'd+shoes&source=bl&ots=CuwQ_5XdDq&sig=ACfU3U32h0rtHG1wXrnY35fezYZ1nDoN4A&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibu_OW6dP6AhWZhM4BHe0UCzY4ChDoAXoECBgQAw#v=onepage&q=roses on my raz'd shoes&f=false

Fascinating finds A Phoenix! In my ignorance, I was silly enough to think that shoe roses were real, from the garden. The realistic-looking roses on FB's feet in the two sculptures by Pomeroy may have compounded this false assumption. However, as Andrew Beckett quotes in the third link you posted: "When shoestrings were worn, they were covered, where they met in the middle, by a ribband (ribbon) gathered in the form of a rose." Wearing rosettes on one's shoe buckles, it seems, was all the rage among the aristocracy of both genders. Here are a couple of interesting short articles on the subject in case you missed them.

https://theshoeman647325124.wordpress.com/2021/03/20/17th-century-shoe-ribbons-roses-and-rosettes-a-brief-history/

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/roses-rosettes/

 

 

The impression I get is that the term "shoe rose" became a generic expression for any fancy covering of the laces/buckle. Check out the garnishes on the feet of Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset! Light-of-Truth pointed out a little while ago that in none of the contemporary portraits of Sir Francis do we see his feet. Pity, as I suspect his ribbon rosettes must have been of the highest quality of artisanal workmanship. Only in his case were they less a fashion statement than a sign of secret Brotherhood (and Sisterhood.) Thank you AP for this stimulating discussion.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by Eric Roberts

[Eric Roberts]

One more link to the history of shoe roses: http://costumehistorian.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-shoe-rose-1580-1660.html

[A Phoenix]

Thanks Eric, some great interesting research here 👍♥️