RSA Scottish Art

The Right Reverend Monsignor Munro

Small web image of The Right Reverend Monsignor MunroArtist: James Pittendrigh Macgillivray
Title: The Right Reverend Monsignor Munro
Year: 1892
Medium: bronze
Dimensions:
Suggested topic:
Source: RSA Diploma Collection
View full screen image of this work
Open print version of this work
 
Description: James Pittendrigh Macgillivray was a sculptor, painter, printmaker and poet associated with a group of radical young artists, known as the Glasgow Boys.As a sculptor, Macgillivray worked mostly in bronze, producing portraits and imaginative figurative subjects. This portrait bust is restrained and reflects the character and calling of the sitter. Monsignor Alexander Munro was an officer of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and served as Provost of the restored Chapter of the Catholic Cathedral of Glasgow from 1884 to 1892. Nowadays, few people would suggest that a man of the cloth has to be presented purely as a heavy, serious individual. But in the late 19th century, it would not be common for a clergyman to display a cheerful, light-hearted character.This bust has been executed with sober attention to detail. It has been produced to create a strong likeness, and not to be adventurous in style or expression. The surface has been smoothed, leaving few tool-marks, and showing a uniform texture. The eyes have been rendered as hollows. The eyebrows have been accentuated and appear as solid forms projecting from the forehead. The sculptor has done this to show the bushy nature of the man's eyebrows, even though in reality they are not solid at all.He is described through the sculpture as having hollow cheeks, heavy cheekbones and thin features. The soft highlights reflected from the surface contrast with the shadows cast by the brows, chin and eye-sockets. This form is very compact and neat - there are no ungainly shapes or random marks. This also adds to the sense of suggesting that the sitter is a thoughtful, peaceful but slightly melancholy character.