Although born in Edinburgh, it was with the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm (where he made his debut singing the title role in Gounod’s ‘Faust’) that Joseph Hislop came to prominence. Countless international engagements followed, making him one of the leading tenors of his day. In 1923 he became the first British tenor to sing a leading role at La Scala in Milan. He later returned to Sweden to teach at the Royal Academy and the Opera School, before coaching singers in London and Scotland. Hislop knew the sculptor’s husband, Francis Loring, who was also a singer. Gloria Loring also made another bust of Hislop, as a commission from his son, for the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.