Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown comes to life

I was thrilled to be commissioned to produce what is believed to be the first ever portrait bust of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, the famous 18th century English landscape architect. This new bust is to commemorate the tercentenary of ‘Capability’ Brown’s birth in 1716.

With only one formal portrait available of ‘Capability’ Brown as a reference image - the famous painting by Nathaniel Dance of 1773 which is housed in the National Portrait Gallery – the project took several weeks to complete and was not without its challenges.  I spent many hours in research to capture the authenticity of 18th century gentlemen’s wear and to study the features of ‘Capability’ Brown himself.  Altogether it was a very rewarding and fascinating commission and I loved every minute of it.

The larger than life size portrait bust will be on display in May this year at the Chelsea Flower Show on the Haddonstone exhibit.  Haddonstone are world renowned for fine garden ornaments and architectural stonework.

These pictures were taken in my studio in December 2015; just putting the finishing touches to my clay original of ‘Capability’ Brown and also applying the first coat of silicone rubber at the moulding stage.