Following 250 years in Portugal, two magnificent but damaged lead sculptures by English artist John Cheere (1709-87) were this year temporarily returned to Britain for restoration by World Monuments Fund, and are now displayed in pristine condition at Tate Britain. Dido and Aeneas and The Marriage of Bacchus were created by Cheere in London during the 1750s as part of a commission for a large group of about 90 sculptures which were shipped to Lisbon to ornament Dom Pedro III of Portugal’s new Royal gardens at Queluz. They have been superbly restored by Rupert Harris at his east London studio. This unique exhibition closes in April 2009.
Dr Jonathan Foyle, Chief Executive of World Monuments Fund Britain said “John Cheere is not a household name in Britain but that’s partly because his work is so widely dispersed. World Monuments Fund first saw these sculptures in Portugal, battered by time and the Atlantic weather, and even crushed by falling trees, but thanks to Rupert Harris the impressive quality and animation of Cheere’s work at Queluz can once again be appreciated, helping to recover his status as one of the great artisans of Georgian England.”
More information about World Monuments Fund Britain can be found at
www.wmf.org.uk