James Havard Thomas, Head Of A Young Man (1884)
Lyon, France
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Dimensions
Wear Condition
Good
Material
Terracotta
Style
Antique, French Antiques
Product Details
Description
JAMES HAVARD THOMAS (Bristol 1854 - London 1921)
Head of a Young Man
1884
Terracotta
H. 26 cm
Monogrammed et dated: H T 1884
Between 1881 and 1884 Havard Thomas was the student of Jules Cavalier at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. This head of a young man, which has an unbelievable quality of expression and anatomical precision, was done by Thomas while he was living in Paris. The head is not only brilliant, but slightly different from contemporary French sculpture. Unlike the abstract sensuality found in the great French sculptors of the period, there is something empirical about Thomas’s head, although in terms of quality it is easily the equal of the best French sculptors.
Havard Thomas was born in 1854 into a Welsh family who had settled in Bristol. His career was varied, ambulatory, often combative, always successful, and he is undoubtedly one of the most important British sculptors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He studied first at the Bristol School of Art before winning a scholarship to attend the South Kensington Schools. He began to exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1872 and worked in London through the 1870s. It should be noted therefore that Thomas was already an established sculptor when he moved to Paris to study with Jules Cavalier in 1881 (Cavalier’s best-known work is the beautiful fountain at the Palais Longchamps in Marseille). From 1883 to 1885 Thomas exhibited at the Salon des artistes français, and it was at this time that he sculpted this remarkable head of a young man. In 1884 Thomas returned to London where he adopted an antagonistic position towards academic teaching and ideals at the Royal Academy and aligned himself with the New English Art Club. Eventually, in 1889, he left London for Naples and Capri, where he quickly found a niche amongst the ‘beau monde’. But even in this world of wealthy amateurs Thomas remained grounded and retained above all a will to spread his ideas on sculpture to others. So, in 1906, he returned to London, and in 1911 was appointed assistant lecturer in sculpture at the Slade School of Art, and in 1915 he became the first professor of sculpture at the Slade where he played a key role in the formation of the New Sculpture Movement. This head of a young man in terracotta comes at important juncture in Thomas’s career, his short but important French period, where the excellence of French teaching and sculptural practice made him a better sculptor, but only on his terms, it did not change him.
Wear Condition
Good
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Additional Delivery Info from Seller
Free collection available
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Reviews
5.0
Based on 1 review
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 12/02/2026
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14-day return guarantee
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| 5,000+ | 110.00 |
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