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Rachel Fanny Antonina Le Despencer

ca. 1820
Not on view
Antonina apparently spent much of her adult life in an unsuccessful pursuit of the title Baroness Le Despencer. Thus, the inscription on the base was undoubtedly intended to legitimize her claim. Her nom de plume Philopatria, which she adopted for her acclaimed "Essay on Government" of 1808 (she was also the author of anticlerical tracts), appears on the back. The bust was exhibited at Royal Academy in 1820.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Rachel Fanny Antonina Le Despencer
  • Artist: John Bacon the Younger (British, 1777–1859)
  • Date: ca. 1820
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Overall (with base): 28 × 15 × 11 7/8 in. (71.1 × 38.1 × 30.2 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Margaret A. Darrin Gift, 1989
  • Object Number: 1989.290
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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