William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Medium
Lead-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
Height: 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
British, Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Josephine Atterbury, 1945
Accession Number
45.13.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delightful bust captures William Augustus, Duke of (1721–1765), the third son of King George II and a prominent British military leader. Best known for his decisive victory at the Battle of Cull in 1746, which crushed the Jacobite uprising, Cumberland became a symbol of Hanoverian triumph and Protestant loyalty—though reviled in Scotland as the "Butcher." Crafted around 1750, this intimate portrait reflects the era's fascination with heroic figures, immortalizing him in miniature for admirers' homes. Made of lead-glazed earthenware from Staffordshire, England—a hub of innovative pottery ...