Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown comes to life
British sculptor, Hannah Northam, has created the first ever portrait bust of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the famous 18th century English landscape architect.
Commissioned by Haddonstone Ltd, makers of fine garden ornaments and architectural stonework, the new bust is to commemorate the tercentenary of Capability Brown’s birth in 1716.
With only one formal portrait available of Capability Brown as a reference image - the famous painting by Nathaniel Dance of 1773 which is housed in the National Portrait Gallery – the project took several months to complete and was not without its challenges.
Hannah Northam, a member of the RBSA (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists), worked on the portrait bust in her studio in Harborne, Birmingham. She said: ”I spent many hours in research to capture the authenticity of 18th century gentlemen’s wear and to study the features of Capability Brown himself. Altogether, it was a very rewarding and fascinating commission and I loved every minute of it.”
300 hundred years on, a man who is remembered as ‘England’s greatest gardener’ for his work at gardens such as those at Blenheim Palace and Kew Gardens, has now been given a new lease of life by this talented artist.
Hannah said: “The challenge in portraiture is to capture a sense of the person and I hope that I have caught a hint of this great man’s personality and creativity. It was a great honour to be asked by Haddonstone to do this. ”
The larger than life size portrait bust will on display at the Chelsea Flower Show in May on the Haddonstone exhibit where casts of the original portrait bust will be available to order.
Simon Scott, Haddonstone’s marketing director, said: ” We are creating casts of the original portrait bust of Capability Brown in a unique form of cast limestone with a surface texture similar to Portland stone. The material matures and weathers like natural stone to create a timeless ornament that grows distinguished with age. “
Copylines PR. Tel: 00 353 21 435 8517. Email: patkinson@copylinespr.com
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