Portrait of a lady, possibly Mrs. Timothy Shelley, Mother of Percy Byron Shelley 1800 - 1815

Samuel Percy sculpted this relief portrait of a lady, possibly Mrs. Timothy Shelley, Mother of Percy Byron Shelley, in wax, around the late 18th to early 19th century. The profile portrait, a motif echoing ancient coins and cameos, was often associated with power and nobility. Consider how the profile, since antiquity, has served to immortalize rulers and influential figures. We see it re-emerge during the Renaissance, a period of intense revival of classical ideals, and it continues here. The act of memorializing through portraiture taps into a primal desire to transcend mortality. The wax medium itself is interesting, as it's malleable and lifelike, yet fragile, symbolizing the transient nature of life and memory. This echoes the cyclical nature of history, where symbols and forms are continually re-imagined, carrying layers of collective memory.