Memorial to The Right Honorable James Whiteside, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, 1866-1876 by Albert Bruce-Joy. 1880. Marble. St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. [Click on images to enlarge them.]
This is another of Bruce-Joy's naturalistic but dignified likenesses, with all the "subtle qualities" for which this sculptor has been "particularly praised" (Thomas 1689). James Whiteside (1804-1876) was his fellow-countryman, an important Irish lawyer and political figure who rose to become Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Nathan Wells points out that while Whiteside was "a most influential political figure," he was even more famous for his legal advocacy, and "remains one of the most brilliant men names in the annals of the Irish bar." Wells also says that Whiteside had a "powerful personality, at once winning and commanding," and this is exactly how he comes across in this sculpture.
Photographs at top by George P. Landow 2016. Photographs in the next row and text by Jacqueline Banerjee, 2009/10. [These images may be used without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and(2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Thomas, T. D. L. "Devotion to Natural Form: The Work of Albert Bruce-Joy (1842-1942)." Country Life, 3 June 1982, Vol. 171: 1688-9.
Wells, Nathan. "Whiteside, James (1804-1876)." The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Viewed 5 June 2010.
Last modified 16 April 2020