Joseph Wilton

Octagonal Marble Plinth Standing on Four Turtles

previous next

About this artwork

A founder-member of the Royal Academy, Wilton frequently collaborated with Robert Adam and George III’s architect Sir William Chambers on decorative sculpture. This plinth was commissioned by the 1st Earl of Charlemont for a statue of Venus at Charlemont House in Dublin (now the municipal Gallery of Modern Art). The intricate ornamentation includes a relief of Cupid and Psyche and seashells evoking the seaborne birth of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
    Joseph Wilton (1722 - 1803) English
  • title:
    Octagonal Marble Plinth Standing on Four Turtles
  • date created:
    About 1775 - 1785
  • materials:
    White marble
  • measurements:
    96.50 x 73.50 x 73.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased by the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland 1989
  • accession number:
    NG 2515
  • gallery:
Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Tell us what you think.

Joseph Wilton

Joseph Wilton