A fine 19th century marble portrait bust of a young woman, very probably Haidee, by the renowned Scottish sculptor William Brodie (1815-1881) dated 1848. Restored.

Signed on the reverse: W. Brodie, 1848

 The current bust in the finest statuary marble, clearly influenced by the classical tradition, is a rare example of Brodie’s early work and executed while attending The Trustees School of Design in Edinburgh from 1846 to 1850. In a contemporary newspaper it is recorded in 1849 that he exhibited at the Academy Exhibition in Edinburgh along with two other works ‘an ideal bust in marble of Haidee, the beautiful Greek maid, restorer of Don Juan (1)’

The tragic story of Haidee and her death of a broken heart, is related in the epic poem Don Juan written by Lord Byron in 1824. During the latter half of the 19th century the tragic story of the two lovers was much admired and Haidee in Turkish Dress was painted by Sir Charles Eastlake in 1827.  

In 1853 he went to Rome where he immersed himself in the study of the antique and explored his talent for ideal statuary in the studio of Laurence MacDonald. Following his return to Edinburgh in 1854 he was to gain national recognition as one of the most proficient and prolific exponents of bust portraiture in the liberally classicizing tradition of Sir Francis Chantrey.

His work is extensively represented in the collections of the University of Edinburgh; New College; the Faculty of Advocates; and the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.

(1)  See Scottish Notes and Queries, 1923 p.7

Bibliography: Smailes, Helen E. Dictionary of National Biography, 2004

STOCK NUMBER 4512

Measurements
WIDTH: 12 INS ( 30 CMS) HEIGHT: 21½ INS (52 CMS) DEPTH 9 INS (23 CMS)