Statue
- Gallery: Room 46
- Maker: Giuseppe Ceracchi
- Made in: London (England)
- Date: 1778 (terracotta modelled (see production, notes))
- Object type: statue
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: OA.10540
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
Before you is a marble statue titled "The Muse of Sculpture," crafted by Giuseppe Ceracchi. The subject is the Hon. Mrs Anne Seymour Damer, portrayed with classical grace. She stands elegantly, her head turned gently to the right, wearing a flowing dress tied with a sash beneath her breast. Her hair is intricately styled, crowned with a wreath of flowers.
In her left arm, she holds a sculpted river-god figure, crouched with a jar clasped to his knees, while her right hand rests tenderly on his form. The statue rests on an integral square base, inscribed with her name.
Ceracchi, an Italian-born sculptor, worked in London and is noted for his classical influences. This piece was likely based on a terracotta model created around 1778. It is thought that the statue was carved after the death of Damer’s uncle, Lord Frederick Campbell, possibly using Ceracchi’s original model.
See it in person
Statue is on display in Room 46 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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