Sir George Frampton’s “Lamia”

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Lamia

Sir George Frampton, R.A., P.R.B.S. (1860-1928)

1899

Bronze and ivory with opals

Height: 36 inches

Royal Academy of Arts

Source: the 1899 Studio

Beattie's New Sculpture contains a color photograph of this work.

Scanned image and text by George P. Landow

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL.]

Commentary by Aymer Vallance (1889)

The art of Mr. George Frampton, A.R.A., may perhaps best be described as composite sculpture; that is to say, that he seldom confines himself in any given work to one single medium, but draws upon many materials — e.g. bronze and various kinds of marbles; stones, such as lapis lazuli; mother-of-pearl and other shells: amber and ivory, to obtain the effect desired. Yet even these do not suffiice for some of his finer pieces, which are further enriched with enamelling, gold and silver. To the latter class belongs a bust of Keats's Lamia, now in course of being modelled in clay. The flesh parts are to be carried out in ivory, to meet the resources and limitations of which the artist has to exercise particular ingenuity, contriving to veil the joints of the material with an ornamental network of gold about the throat and forehead. The sleeves and drapery are to be of silver, embellished with mother-of-pearl and coloured enamels. The features are beautiful and full of dignity, and yet the expression is snake- like withal, as befits the character represented.

Link to related material

The Colour of Anxiety: Race, Sexuality and Disorder in Victorian Sculpture [review of the exhibition at the Henry Moore Institute, London (2022-23)]

Bibliography

Beattie, Susan. The New Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. Pl 151.

"Studio-Talk" The Studio. 19 (1899): 270.

Vallance, Aymer. “British Decorative Art in 1899 and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Part I” The Studio. (1899): 37-58, especially, 52-54.

Last modified 3 May 2007