1968.0018 Bust
  • 1968.0018 Bust
  • Enlarge

  •      

Bust (figure)

  • Title:

    K. Wood

  • Category:

    Sculpture

  • Creator (Role):

    James Fell (Sculptor)

  • Place of Origin:

    England, Europe

  • Date:

    1824

  • Materials:

    Pine, white; Wood; Paint

  • Techniques:

    Carved, Painted

  • Museum Object Number:

    1968.0018


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1968.0018

Object Name

Bust (figure)

Title

K. Wood

Category

Sculpture

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase

Creator (Role)

James Fell (Sculptor)
See Sarah M. Fell's Genealogy of the Fell Family in America. Privately printed for the Association of the Fell Family in Western Pennsylvania, 1891. The aforementioned text lists two men who may possibly be the sculptor. The first is James WIlkins Fell (July 5, 1807 - September 30, 1865) who married Rachel Skinner, Niagara Falls, and was a merchant and surveyor of provincial lands, Chippewa, Ontario. The second is James Fell (born July 5, 1782), who married Rebecca Taylor, Pelham (near Niagara Falls). Their children include: Anna F. Fell and Joseph E. Fell. Considering the date of the bust and the maturity of the sculptor, it seems that the earlier James Fell would be the more likely artist.

Place of Origin

England, Europe

Origin Notes

Per previous cataloguer and research: Origin probably Niagara Falls and River area of New York. Probably made in Maryport, Cumbria, England: Updated with new research by Ian Smith, shared by David Bridgwater, Wiltshire, England. See "Notes" [8/10/2022]

Date

1824

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; Reverse, beneath the shoulders on the socle; <>K<> WOOD <> 1824<>/ JA\s. FELL-

Subjects

Portrait

Materials

Pine, white; Wood; Paint

Techniques

Carved, Painted

Dimensions (inches)

27 (H) , 18.25 (W) , 10.75 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

68.58 (H) , 46.355 (W) , 27.305 (D)

Measurement Notes

Measurements at maximum.

Object Description

Web - 08/15/2022

New research suggests that this carved portrait bust of a man identified as K. Wood and dated 1824 belongs to a small group of carved portraits depicting members of a ship building family from the northwest coast of Cumbria, England. Kelsick Wood (1771-1840) first practiced as a shipbuilder in Workington until he relocated to Maryport. His firm there became K. Wood & Sons and flourished by the 1830s. Kelsick Wood was about 52 or 53 years old when his portrait was carved for display indoors, possibly at home or in his workplace. When this portrait bust was acquired by the museum its surface had been stripped of any paint or varnish; it received a new surface of white paint in 1968.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Article] Davidson, Ruth. 1968 Museum Accessions: New at Winterthur. Antiques. 94 (6): 816.
Published: top photo