Sculpture Victorious highlights the diversity, originality, and ubiquity of sculptural production during the reign of Queen Victoria. This lavishly illustrated book examines how colorful marbles, bronzes, finely wrought silver, and exquisitely detailed electrotypes, as well as gems, cameos, and porcelain, related to and contributed to the contemporary world. In an age of unprecedented territorial expansion, sculpture reflected the power of the British empire; at the same time, increased access to materials and resources facilitated artistic production and innovation. The partnership between art and industry was equally generative and creative, enabling daring explorations of sculpture’s possibilities, both political and aesthetic. Bringing to bear a range of materials including statuary, reliefs, models, drawings, and objets d’art, as well as prints, photographs, and paintings, this stunning tome assembles, for the first time, the vibrancy, inventiveness, and modernity of Victorian sculpture. 


Published in association with the Yale Center for British Art

Exhibition Schedule:

Yale Center for British Art
(09/11/14–11/30/14)

Tate Britain
(02/24/15–05/24/15)

‘Three cheers for the Yale Center for British Art and Tate Britain for collaborating on the exhibition “Sculpture Victorious” at Tate Britain… The show, accompanied by a scholarly catalogue of the same title, will also explains the evolution of the new technologies, styles, materials and ideas of the late British Empire.’—D. I , Art Newspaper.
-- D.I. * Art Newspaper *
“As sumptuous as its subject . . . illustrated by magnificent photography . . .  essays by a distinguished group of scholars address every aspect of this fascinating art form . . . this book encompasses the subject in all its majesty.”—Barrymore Laurence Scherer, Magazine Antiques -- Barrymore Laurence Scherer * Magazine Antiques *

Martina Droth is associate director for research and education and curator of sculpture at the Yale Center for British Art. Jason Edwards is a professor of art history at the University of York. Michael Hatt is a professor of art history at the University of Warwick.