George Wyndham

In 1901 Rodin is known to have shown Wyndham around his studio and in 1902 George Wyndham presided over the banquet at the Café Royal in London to celebrate the presentation of the cast of St John the Baptist to V&A. Later, in 1912, Rodin appealed to Wyndham to support the way he wished The Burghers of Calais to be displayed in London.

For this bust, Rodin was to go to Ireland, but in the end it was Wyndham who went to Meudon. Sittings began in 1804 and were greatly enjoyed by Wyndham who wrote to his sister, 'We have run over the whole Universe lightly but deeply'. When Wyndham saw the finished plaster, he was delighted and remarked: 'It is indeed a portrait, one of the most striking. It is so true and living that looking at the throat one expects to see the bust swallow. But it is more than that, a lot more. It is a man at 40 years of age…in mid career, with his regrets, his worries, his force, his hopes, his dash'.