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Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)

first modeled 1766
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 512
The classicizing bust of the author of the celebrated Tristram Shandy, who sat for Nollekens in Rome, is said to have launched the sculptor's career. Nollekens sold replicas as independent portraits, or paired, as here, with his bust of Alexander Pope.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)
  • Artist: Joseph Nollekens (British, London 1737–1823 London)
  • Date: first modeled 1766
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 21 3/4 × 12 × 10 × 7 1/2 in., 59 lb. (55.2 × 30.5 × 25.4 × 19.1 cm, 26.8 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, John T. Dorrance Jr. Gift, in memory of Elinor Dorrance Ingersoll, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.275.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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