Lord Leighton’s Sluggard

Artisan: Neil Carter
Date: 2018
Inscriptions: signed and numbered ‘Neil Carter #3/3’ (in gold on the base)
Dimensions: 73 x 41 x 21 mm. / 2 ⅞ x 1 ½ x ⅞ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.237
Intended Room: Gallery
Category: Sculpture

Provenance: Number 3/3 of a limited edition: this cast made for the artist’s mother, who died in 2021; purchased by us from Neil on eBay in late 2021.

This is a piece with a very special history. Some years ago, a private collector commissioned Neil Carter to cast two miniature bronze copies after Lord Leighton’s sensuous male nude, The Sluggard. Neil also cast a third, for his mother, for whom he made copies of all his compositions. When Neil’s mother sadly died last year, he decided to offer the sculptures from her collection for sale. We were fortunate enough to secure The Sluggard and are honoured to have this remarkable little piece in our collection.

As ever, Neil has excelled in copying the very complex original. Leighton’s young athlete – posed by the Italian model Giuseppe Valona – is languidly stretching after having woken up. He clearly isn’t an habitual sluggard: every muscle is beautifully defined, and a victor’s garland has been crushed beneath his right heel. The original bronze sculpture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1886, when it was very favourably received: critics admired the suppleness and flexibility of the figure. It was hugely popular: reduced-scale copies were available to buy, and a miniature version of the statue even appeared on Leighton’s tomb, held in the hand of a personification of Sculpture. Notably, Neil hasn’t bothered with the prim fig leaf which was added to the original sculpture for its exhibition – to maintain decorum and prevent any accusations that this sensual figure might be too alluring.

I’m not entirely sure where to place this. My first instinct would be the Gallery, alongside Neil’s other bronzes after Renaissance sculptures, because it is surely meant to be appreciated in the round. We’ll have to think if there is anywhere else it could stand alone – perhaps a vestibule or hallway.