Thompson, S., 2024.

'Jesus in the Lumber Room: Edmonia Lewis's Bust of Christ'

An online talk presented as the 2023-24 Association for Art History / Ampersand Foundation Residency Award, hosted by AAH:
In 2015, a marble sculpture by the artist Edmonia Lewis (1844-1907) was (re)discovered at Mount Stuart, a Gothic Revival mansion on the Isle of Bute in Scotland. A woman of African-American and First Nation (Chippewa) heritage, Lewis's work frequently represented abolitionist themes, depicting Black and indigenous figures alongside religious, literary and historical subjects. In spite of international acclaim in her lifetime, for most of the twentieth century Lewis's works (and the whereabouts of the artist herself) were largely unknown. In the last few decades, often due to the work of contemporary artists, her work has enjoyed a revival of interest and has been acquired by major museum collections in the USA.

A minor work in the artist's oeuvre, Bust of Christ was one of two religious sculptures purchased by John Crichton-Stuart, the third Marquess of Bute. An extensive patron of the arts, Crichton-Stuart was a Catholic convert, an aspect of his identity shared by Lewis. After being held in storage for over 100 years, Bust of Christ was redisplayed at Mount Stuart in 2021 and is one of only two works by Lewis held in a UK public collection. This talk seeks to trace the story of the work's acquisition, ask why it remained unknown for so long, and propose ways in which its display might raise broader questions around histories of sculpture.