The Sir Francis Chantrey and the Ashmolean Museum

* This book gives an introduction to one of themost remarkable collections of British sculpture in existence, and marks thefirst permanent display of the busts in the museum for over a century.*There is no other publication that covers SirFrancis Chantrey and his work in such detail.This book uses the busts on the Chantrey Wall to give anintroduction to the remarkable career of Francis Chantrey (1781-1841), and thecollection in the Ashmolean Museum. The book will chart the progress of thebusts from Chantrey's workshop to a Victorian national treasure: the first monographiccollection of British sculpture to become a part of a permanent museumcollection. The book will follow the return of the busts from basement storageto their conservation and triumphant redisplay in the new building. The bookwill begin and end with the Chantrey Wall, one of the most photographeddisplays of recent years. The book will give non-specialist readers anintroduction to one of the giants of British sculpture, and one of the mostimportant sculpture collections in the country. Contents: Introduction; Sir Francis Chantrey (1781-1841); Chantrey'sModels: An 'Assemblage of Precious Objects'; Chantrey's Plasters: Display and Reputation; The Changing Fortunes ofthe Chantrey Collection in the Ashmolean; Reading Chantrey in the AshmoleanMuseum; Sources and Further Reading; Acknowledgements