Head of a man

This is one of a series of casts, mostly taken from the arcading in the chapter house at Salisbury Cathedral. Made before the restorations of the cathedral had been completed in 1855/6 they record the unaltered thirteenth century sculptures. Each face is unique. It is possible that the original sculptures were based on real people known to the artists who carved them. The heads represent various conditions of life at the time the chapter house was constructed; these 'types' communicate their occupation and social position through costume, hair-cuts and facial expressions.

The casts were first housed in the Royal Architectural Museum with the intention that they would provide craftsmen with an opportunity to study works which they were otherwise unable to visit. The collection was moved to the South Kensington Museum in 1857 and formally transferred in 1915.