Joseph Gott
George Banks
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Art Institute of Chicago
Room220Chicago, United States
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
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.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2018.13
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
