Bust

Somerset House - 1, George III

Site: Somerset House - 3 portrait relief heads (3 memorials)

WC2, Strand, Somerset House - Strand Block

The three central first floor windows of the Strand Block of Somerset House are each topped, below their pediment, with a relief portrait.  Who are these characters?  We’d put money on the left-hand relief representing King George III.  He was reigning all the time that this building was in construction, 1776 – 1780.  And surely one of the two ladies is Queen Charlotte, his queen from 1761 until her death in 1818.  The relief to the right looks most like other portraits of her so we plump for that one.  And the lady in the middle?  So weather-beaten that her two companion lions are crestfallen at the state of her.  The royal couple had six daughters but the oldest was only 14 in 1780, surely too young.  George III’s mother had died in 1772 so it’s unlikely to be her.  Truly we have no idea and would be pleased to hear from anyone with some knowledge. We might even be wrong about all three.

Candidates for the sculptor of these 3 portrait reliefs are: Agostino Carlini and Giuseppe Ceracchi. They both worked on this facade as detailed at Ornamental Passions.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Somerset House - 1, George III

Subjects commemorated i

King George III

Born in St James's Square (not the public garden, one of the houses, obviousl...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Somerset House - 1, George III

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Warrington Hotel - Bach bust

Warrington Hotel - Bach bust

W9, Randolph Avenue, Warrington Hotel

The busts are on the Randolph Avenue elevation, at first floor level. We've numbered them left to right. The listing text mentions the bu...

1 subject commemorated
Grosvenor Hotel - head 05

Grosvenor Hotel - head 05

SW1, Buckingham Palace Road, Grosvenor Hotel

This 1860 building, by architect James Knowles Snr, is studded with many portrait busts of which we believe only these 14 are representat...

John Donne bust

John Donne bust

EC4, St Paul's Churchyard

The poetry on the base of the statue is from Donne’s 1613 poem ‘Good Friday—Riding Westward’. That on the shoulder is from 'A Letter to ...

1 subject commemorated, 4 creators
Morley mosaics - KEW - Mrs Mallet

Morley mosaics - KEW - Mrs Mallet

SE1, King Edward Walk, Morley College

These 10 portrait mosaics are the result of a project by Morley College to celebrate the achievements of significant women who have lived...

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
Queen Victoria - Mill Street

Queen Victoria - Mill Street

W1, Mill Street

High up on a narrow street, this is the best photo we could manage. Her Maj. peers out of a roundel at fourth floor attic level on the Mi...

2 subjects commemorated