Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a
As a format that allows the most distinctive characteristics of an individual to be depicted with much less work, and therefore expense, and occupying far less space than a full-length statue, the bust has been since ancient times a popular style of life-size portrait sculpture. It can also be executed in weaker materials, such as terracotta.
A sculpture that only includes the head, perhaps with the neck, is more strictly called a "head", but this distinction is not always observed. Display often involves an integral or separate
History
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with Europe and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (April 2024) |
Antiquity
Sculptural portrait heads from classical antiquity, stopping at the neck, are sometimes displayed as busts. However, these are often fragments from full-body statues, or were created to be inserted into an existing body, a common Roman practice;[1] these portrait heads are not included in this article. Equally, sculpted heads stopping at the neck are sometimes mistakenly called busts.
The portrait bust was a
The Roman tradition may have originated in the tradition of
Middle Ages
Some
Renaissance
Busts began to be revived in a variety of materials, including painted terracotta or wood, and marble. Initially most were flat-bottomed, stopping slightly below the shoulders. Francesco Laurana, born in Dalmatia, but who worked in Italy and France, specialized in marble busts, mostly of women.
Baroque
The round-bottomed Roman style, including, or designed to be placed on, a
Pictorial timeline
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Lady of Elche (limestone, Iberian, 4th century BC)
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Pericles with the Corinthian helmet (marble, Roman after a Greek original, c. 430 BC)
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Bronze bust of Lucius Junius Brutus, the Capitoline Brutus (late 4th century BC to early 3rd century BC)
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The Empress Vibia Sabina (c. 130 AD)
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Iyoba of the Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria (15th century)
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Francesco Laurana, A Princess of the House of Aragon, c. 1475
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Giuliano de' Medici by Andrea del Verrocchio (terracotta, 1475–85)
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Conrat Meit(polychrome wood, c. 1515)
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Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, by Leone and Pompeo Leoni (bronze, 1553, Museo del Prado)
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Terracotta modello by Alessandro Algardi of Cardinal Paolo Emilio Zacchia, c. 1650
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Finance Minister of the Maratha Empire. (1674–1689)
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Jules Hardouin-Mansart by Jean-Louis Lemoyne (marble, 1703)
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Simplicity of the Highest Degree, ninth in a series of character heads by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (alabaster, after 1770)
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Étienne Vincent-Marniola by Joseph Chinard (terracotta, 1809)
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Chief Beshekee by Francis Vincenti (marble, 1855–56)
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The Veiled Nun (marble, c. 1863)
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Mater Dolorosa by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux(terracotta, 1869–70)
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Jeanne Granier by Francis de Saint-Vidal (late 19th century)
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Faduma Ali, wife of Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi (Italian Somaliland, c. 1920s)
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Singapore Soul (2011) by Jaume Plensa
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Adiyogi Shiva bust (2017) at Tamil Nadu, largest bust in the world
See also
- Herma
- Portrait
Notes
References
- ISBN 0691160961, 9780691160962, google books
- Stewart, Peter, Statues in Roman Society: Representation and Response, 2003, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0199240949, 9780199240944, google books