John Gibson and the Anglo-Italian Sculpture Market in Rome: Letters, Sketches and Marble

Abstract

John Gibson established a hugely successful sculpture studio in Rome, and despite strong reasons to return to London, such as the cholera outbreaks in Rome in the 1830s, he remained steadfast in his allegiance to the city. His status and success in this intensely competitive environment was promoted through a sympathetic engagement with a wide variety of friends, fellow sculptors and patrons. This paper explores this method of engagement, notably through Gibson’s works for and correspondence with the 6th Duke of Devonshire.