William Huntington (ivory bust)

This ivory bust of William Huntington stands on a marble base. It was probably made by Benjamin Cheverton (1794-1876) in England in ca. 1850. This bust represents Huntington apparently posthumous. Benjamin Cheverton was the son of a farmer and a small landowner. During the 1820s he perfected a machine capable of producing reduced miniature versions, usually in ivory, of full-size sculptures. This had been invented by his mentor, John Isaac Hawkins, and was similar to machines devised by the engineer and inventor James Watt (1736-1819). Cheverton’s machine was up and running by early 1828. He first showed products at exhibitions, and issued items which might have popular appeal, such as busts of Shakespeare or Milton. Later he took commission from owners of busts or other sculptures who desired small copies.