JOHN ADAMS-ACTON (BRITISH, 1830/1834-1910)

The inscription is the 17th stanza from Tennyson's 'Lady Clare', first published in 1842, and derived from a novel, 'The Inheritance' by Miss Ferrier. This is the story of a foundling, an heiress presumptive, deception and repudiated love. However, Tennyson's poem differs in that Lord Ronald (Colonel Delmour), rather than betray his lover, Lady Clare (Countess of Rossville), for status and monetary gain, stands by her.

This figure is an early work by the British sculptor, John Acton-Adams (1830-1910), executed when in Rome having won the Royal Academy travelling studentship. While there he met John Gibson, the most significant British sculptor in Rome in this period, who acknowledged Acton-Adams' talent for portraiture and recommended him to a number of prestigious clients including Gladstone who became his patron. Acton-Adams, a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy from 1854-92, was also highly sought after for his allegorical, classical and heroic work; these include the present sculpture, The First Sacrifice, The Lady of the Lake, Pharaoh’s Daughter, Zenobia, and The Millenium.