George Bissell Bronze Portrait Bust Ball Hughes John Watts New York Sculpture

Description

This handsome early 1900's bust of remarkable quality was cast by the Gruet foundry, Paris after the original portrait bust (in plaster) created circa 1830 by Robert Ball Hughes (1804-1868) and reduced by George Bissell (1839-1920) noted American portrait sculpture.  It is related to a larger cast, also by Gruet Fondeur in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York.  Ball
Hughes apparently received a commission to execute a portrait of John Watts soon after his arrival in New York in 1829. Watts (1749–1836), a prominent New York leader, had been speaker of the New York State Assembly as well as a member of Congress and the first judge for Westchester County. It seems likely that it was the bust of Watts that Hughes exhibited at the 1830 annual exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, listing it only as “An Eminent Member of the New York Bar.” In early 1906 Watt’s grandson General John Watts de Peyster offered to give the Metropolitan Museum the plaster bust of Watts, or a bronze cast of it. The museum selected a bronze that had been cast in Paris (ref. MMA).  Bissell was comissioned to do at least 2 other portraits of Watts, and he was the likely choice to re-work this reduction that may have been intended to be displayed at the Leake and Watts Orphan House which was endowed by Watts.  This version measures 14" high x 7 1/2" wide x 5" deep and stands on a socle 3 7/8" square which is hand-engraved, :John Watts Last Royal Recorder City of New York Founder and Endower Leake and Watts Orphan House New York".  It has pleasing brown to dark green patina with some worn highlights and hints of golden metal.
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