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George Banks

A work made of terracotta.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of terracotta.

Date:

about 1828

Artist:

Joseph Gott
English, 1786–1860

About this artwork

This highly finished terracotta was modeled by Joseph Gott in preparation for a marble portrait of his patron George Banks, a wealthy Yorkshire cloth merchant. Banks sits on a klismos, a style of ancient Greek chair revived by Neoclassical artists during the late 18th century. His pose emulates sculptures from antiquity that depict seated figures resting on one arm with one leg forward. Despite this reference to the idealized grandeur of ancient sculpture, the portrait conveys a modern sense of ease and intimacy. Dressed in contemporary garb, Banks seems to have just turned towards the viewer, his lips slightly parted as if he is about to speak.

Status

On View, Gallery 220

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Joseph Gott

Title

George Banks

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1822–1832

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

53 × 58.5 × 20.6 cm (21 × 23 × 8 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Constance T. and Donald W. Patterson through the Old Masters Society

Reference Number

2018.13

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/242043/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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