Valour and Cowardice
Sculptor: Stevens, Alfred George
Bronze cast of one of the sketch models for the Wellington Monument in St Paul's Cathedral, London. Valour, enthroned, is quietly spurning the coward who lies prostrate beneath his shield, which serves as a foot-stool for her. She holds a club in her right hand, a shield on the other arm, the lion's skin covers her head, and the claws are knotted on her breast. Black patina. On the side of the plinth is inscribed 'Alfred Stevens.No.1.'
History note: Sir Edmund Davis (brother-in-law to the testator); Mrs Constance Rea
Bequeathed by Mrs Constance Rea
Height: 25.0 in
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1953) by Rea, Constance
19th Century, Late-20th Century, Early#
Circa
1896
CE
-
1929
CE
This bronze and its pendant, 'Truth and Valour' (M.1A-1953), were cast from a pair of plaster models purchased by the financier and art patron Edmund Davis in 1877 at the posthumous sale of Stevens' studio contents. Davis had them cast (date unknown) and later gave them to his sister-in-law, Mrs Constance Rea. The lifetime plaster models from which Davis had these bronzes cast are most likely those which he gave to Manchester City Art Gallery in 1914 (1914.60 - 'Valour and Cowardice' and 1914.61 - 'Truth and Falsehood').
Sculpture Depth 24.3 cm Height 64.2 cm Width 35.7 cm
Casting (process)
: Bronze, cast, patinated
Patinating
Accession number: M.1B-1953
Primary reference Number: 12464
External ID: CAM_CCF_M_1B_1953
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Valour and Cowardice" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/12464 Accessed: 2024-11-22 00:16:11
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/12464
|title=Valour and Cowardice
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-22 00:16:11|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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