John Gibson (1790-1866) was born near Conway and became one of the most admired sculptors of the nineteenth century. After training in Liverpool he moved to Rome. There he entered the studio of Canova, the greatest living sculptor of the day. His ambition was to carve ideal figures of gods and goddesses. This portrait, painted while Gibson was staying with the artist, was a study for the portrait exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1848.

Work not on display