William Roscoe (1753-1831)

William Spence 1793 - 1849

Summary

Miniature bronze bust of William Roscoe (1753-1831). He is depicted as aged about 60-70, with pouchy jowls and thick brows, yet his bearing is virile: he has a youthful neck and thick curled hair, albeit with a slightly receding hairline. William Roscoe was a famous Liverpudlian - lawyer, banker abolitionist MP - and public man who promoted his city's cultural development as well as being a man of letters and an art collector. This bust is similar to the small marble bust in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 4147), which is possibly a reduced version of the bust exhibited by Spence at the Liverpool Academy in 1813. This bronze is probably one of the edition of half a dozen issued in about 1820.