Lot 177: WILLIAM MCMILLAN, R.A. (1887-1977) Joseph Mallord William Turner,

WILLIAM MCMILLAN, R.A.
(1887-1977)
Joseph Mallord William Turner,
R.A., a maquette
signed ‘McMillan’
bronze, mid-brown patina 22 in. (55.9 cm.), high

PROVENANCE:
Anonymous sale; Sotheby’s, London, 24 May 1990,
lot 602, where purchased by the present owner.
The present lot is a maquette for the life-size
statue of Turner at the Royal Academy, London,
commissioned by the Leighton Fund (1896-1951)
in 1936. On Leighton’s death £10,000 was given
to the Royal Academy, the interest of which
was to be used for acquiring or commissioning
works of Decorative Painting, Sculpture and
Architecture to be located in public places.
The Royal Academy Annual Report of 1936
notes that the Council inspected the full-size
model of the statue of Turner in McMillan’s
studio in February and having suggested a few
minor alterations they approved the work for
completion. The plaster model was exhibited at
the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1936.