SIR WILLIAM HAMO THORNYCROFT (ENGLISH, 1850-1925): A BRONZE MAQUETTE OF AN ANGEL FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE HON. W. OWEN STANLEY the bronze figure depicting a female angel with outstretched wings, holding a flaming torch in her left hand, her eyes downcast, numbered '1' to the bronze base, mounted on a black marble square plinth with incised inscription to the reverse 'BRONZE CAST SKETCH MODEL OF AN ANGEL PART OF A MONUMENT ERECTED IN HOLYHEAD CHURCH IN MEMORY OF THE HON. W. OWEN STANLEY  / HAMO THORNYCROFT R.A. SC 1896' the bronze 21cm high, 24cm high overall  PROVENANCE: A private London collection. THIS LOT WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT OUR SOUTH KENSINGTON GALLERY UNTIL 14TH MARCH AND AT OUR CHISWICK SALEROOM FROM 16TH - 21ST MARCH. Thornycroft is known to have cast in bronze some of his small working models that he produced for larger bronze statues, such as those for the Teucer and the Mower, which were both cast in an edition of twenty five. The present small bronze maquette would have been cast from the plaster original that was made as a sketch model for the full size marble figure. The style of the maquette is typical of Thornycroft's other bronze maquettes, the surface is unfinished and lacking the detail apparent in the full size original. There are seams visible in the casting from the original moulds which have not been polished and removed, and other marks from the casting process are still apparent on the surface of the bronze as well as traces of plaster. The backs of the wings have been loosely modelled with no attempt to delineate feathers.  Similar maquettes of the same size, by Thornycroft have appeared at auction recently, a bronze maquette for The Mower (20cm high) was sold at Bonhams, London, 2 September 2014, lot 158. This maquette is illustrated in J. Cooper, 'Nineteenth Century Romantic Bronzes', David & Charles, London, 1975 page 67. A further maquette, of 'The Teucer', at 21cm high, was also sold at Bonhams, London, 12 June 2013, lot 192 (£5000). A similar version of this maquette is illustrated in 'Sir Alfred Gilbert & The New Sculpture' Exhibition Catalogue, The Fine Art Society, illustrated on pages 104-105. The present maquette is a study for a large marble figure which was part of a funerary monument, featuring a sculpture of the deceased on a plinth, with an angel to either side. The monument was finished in 1897 and is in St Cybi's Church, Holyhead, in North Wales. Related Literature: 'The Chronicle of Art. January.' Magazine of Art 22 (November 1897-October 1898): 166-72. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library. Web. 1 November 2014.