Lot 730: Albert Toft, British (1862-1949) A silvered bronze portrait of a mayor

the standing figure wearing a mayoral chain and holding a scroll, on a square stepped base signed Albert Toft 1904, 40cm high

Toft came from a Staffordshire family of potters and began his career as a modeller to Elkington & co and later to Wedgwood. After studying art at evening classes he was accepted to the Royal College of Art in London and studied under Lanteri. He set up his own studio as a portrait sculptor in London and his first offerings to the Royal Academy were portraits such as the bust of George Wallis in 1890 (now in the Victoria and Albert museum). An important contributor to the English New Sculpture movement; he also produced idealised figures. These were often in the form of full length nude females with symbolic titles such as 'Spring', as well as busts and small scale statuettes.

His portrait bust of Winston Churchill was edited in copper clad form and is now ones of his best known works.

Related Literature: The New Sculpture, Susan Beattie, Yale University Press 1983 page 251.
Victorian Sculpture, Benedict Read, Yale University Press, 1983 page 352.