The British School of Sculpture, C.1760-1832

The British School of Sculpture is the first essay collection examining the rich array of sculpture produced and exhibited in Britain between 1768 and 1837. Featuring nearly 60 illustrations, many never reproduced before, and combining essays from leading scholars in the field with exciting new voices, the volume challenges the notion that neoclassicism dominated British art history in the period, and returns to centre stage a number of compelling baroque works. The volume also emphasises the regional specificities of the British School, paying particular attention to the importance of country house collections and Scottish influences, and the British School’s broader cosmopolitanism, revealing how sculptors also engaged with contemporary continental artists, especially in Rome, and ancient classical and Indian antiquities. In addition, the volume combines a novel account of some of the period’s most significant anti-war memorials, emphasises the importance of religion, and reveal’s sculpture’s relation to contemporary prints and literary sources. Featuring an unprecedentedly extensive bibliography, the volume is specifically designed for art historians and cultural historians of the period, as well as for visitors to British churches and country houses, and heritage sites such as St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

Sarah Burnage is an Independent Art Historian & Curator, UK. Jason Edwards is Professor of Art History, University of York, UK.