Dimensions: object: 438 x 216 x 190 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This bronze bust, titled "Mrs Macloghlin" by Sir Alfred Gilbert, really captures my attention. There is something very regal about the way she holds her head. What narratives do you think this piece is trying to convey? Curator: Well, consider the late 19th century. Gilbert was working within a society grappling with shifting class structures and gender roles. The ornate headwear, her confident gaze... it speaks to a certain assertion of identity. How does her gaze challenge or subvert expectations of women at the time? Editor: It's like she's daring you to look, refusing to be passive. Curator: Exactly. Gilbert was known for pushing boundaries. This sculpture isn't just a portrait; it’s an intervention into the social dialogues of its time. I wonder, what does her expression evoke for you? Editor: A quiet strength, maybe even defiance. Thinking about it that way, it makes the sculpture feel much more complex and powerful. Curator: Precisely. Art becomes a potent tool when we recognize its dialogue with the society that births it.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/gilbert-mrs-macloghlin-n03039
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Eliza Macloghlin (1863-1928) met Gilbert in 1905 when she commissioned a memorial for her husband, the surgeon Edward Macloghlin. She worked closely with Gilbert on the project, and became infatuated with him. Their relationship was passionate and intense, which shows in Gilbert's bust of her, with its ecstatic pose and writhing putti. The back of the bust is inscribed in Latin 'Alas! The fleeting years glide by!' Their friendship was broken off in 1907 after Eliza quarrelled with Gilbert about the length of time he was taking over her husband's monument, and she broke all the windows of his studio. She gave this bust to the gallery in 1915. Gallery label, April 2009
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