Christopher Hewetson
Irish, 1736–1798
Francesco I Righetti, (Italian, 1738–1819)
Bust of Anton Raphael Mengs
cast by Righetti in 1792, after bronze original by Hewetson, 1778
The German artist Anton Raphael Mengs spent many years in Italy and was an active supporter of Neoclassicism, a movement that promoted the revival of Greco-Roman art and culture in eighteenth-century Europe. This bust shows the artist with lips parted in speech and chest exposed, recalling portraits of Roman orators and philosophers. Hewetson’s bronze bust of Mengs was installed in the Pantheon in Rome. Righetti, who worked with Hewetson, cast this version from that original sculpture.
| Medium | bronze |
| Dimensions | 29 x 13 x 14 in. (73.7 x 33 x 35.6 cm) |
| Object Number | 1997.9 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by the Clark, 1997 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Christopher Hewetson, Bust of Anton Raphael Mengs, cast by Righetti in 1792, after bronze original by Hewetson, 1778, bronze. Clark Art Institute, Acquired by the Clark, 1997.9
Select Bibliography
Rand, Richard. "Recent Acquisitions (19942005) at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute." The Burlington Magazine 147, no. 1225 (April 2005): 293300.
