Collections

David Scott

Sculptor: Steell, John, Sir, RSA · 1804-1891

David Scott

In an article in the North British Review of 1849 on David Scott an earlier bust of Scott is cited "His fellow-student, Steell the sculptor, carved a…

In an article in the North British Review of 1849 on David Scott an earlier bust of Scott is cited "His fellow-student, Steell the sculptor, carved a somewhat idealized bust of him at twenty-five; in the reproduction of which that skilful artist is now engaged, with the intention of placing it in the possession of the Scottish Academy as his presentation work: a work of genius and love". The earlier bust would have been the one exhibited at the RSA in 1831 catalogue number 365 as Scott would have been about 25 years of age at this point. It is possible that the Diploma Work bust is an exact replica of this 1831 bust hence the date inscribed but was submitted in circa 1849 although no references for this date of submission yet found. BUT RSA Council Minutes 1831-10-19 record Steele as one of the members who had deposited a Diploma work, and there has so far been found no later Minutes which suggest the 1831 deposit was subsequently replaced.

The following summary was sent by Robin H. Rodger, RSA Documentation Officer to Helen Smailes, senior curator, NGS, 2019-10-16;

"...I have been trying to get to the bottom of the Steell Scott bust saga.

There does not appear to be anything on file that is of much help, but I thought it useful to pull together what can be established thus;

The exhibit at the Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition of 1831 was catalogued simply as “Bust of David Scott” whereas other works in the show were catalogued as “Bust in marble of…”. This may reflect a straight transcription from the letter of submission by the exhibitor, or it may be a conscious effort on behalf of the cataloguer (undoubtedly DOH) to standardise entries and inform the visitor. If the latter, then it could be reasonably surmised that the PG plaster version is indeed the work shown at the 1831 Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition.

If the former however it leaves the door open for the RSA bust in marble to be the one exhibited. HOWEVER, against that is Rocco’s correct observation that ours gives Steell as “RSA” on the back, and that the inscription at least cannot therefore predate the granting of the Royal Charter on 1838-08-13. There is also the reference which Sandy forwarded you from the 1849 journal which suggests that ours was carved in 1849, as you rightly state in the months immediately following Scott’s death on 1849-03-05, from the plaster original, and possibly therefore, as you suggest, as some sort of homage to Steell’s old friend.

Our marble bust first appears in print in the NGS Catalogue for 1859, where it is recorded as being the property of the Academy but no reference is made in this catalogue as to which works are Diploma works, and which are not. In our own modest publication Art Property in the Possession of the Royal Scottish Academy (1883) it is simply listed as his Diploma work, but gives no date for its entering the Collection.

An RSA Council Minute of 1831 records the fact that amongst the Diploma deposits lodged was one by John Steell. However, a letter from Steell to DOH of December 1831 suggests that Steell had been unable to meet the deadline set for such deposits to be made and had sent “a bust” instead of the work which he had originally advised Council that he intended to submit. This he intended as a “temporary deposit” until such time as he was able to complete the piece originally intended.

In Dec 1831-Jan 1832 an exhibition of the Etty paintings was mounted by the Academy, supplemented by a selection of works by the Academicians; their Diploma deposits. Regrettably this exhibition was restricted to 2-D works only.

I have however found nothing thus far in General Assembly or Council Minutes that specifically records ANY Diploma deposit from Steell, temporary, full, or replacement.

So, our marble bust of Scott by Steell, though inscribed 1831 was cut sometime between 1838 and 1859, probably in 1849. Whether it is Steel’s Diploma deposit we cannot say for certain, though it has been thus tagged at least since 1883; there is no contemporary written record of its entering the collection. The plaster version in SNPG is therefore most likely Steell’s original exhibit of 1831."