Signed and dated "Rome 1873"

Born in Manchester in 1813, Holme Cardwell had the opportunity to attend the Royal Academy School in London in 1834 on the recommendation of Francis Legatt Chantrey. Having enjoyed good success at home, which also earned him a silver medal in 1839, he moved to Paris in 1841 to study under the aegis of David d'Angers (1788-1856) and at the Académie Royale, and then moved to Rome, where he finally settled. In the Eternal City he became well-known within the circle of British artists operating there, earning many admirers of his art, including the reknown sculptor John Gibson (1790-1866)

Comparative literature: E. Hardy and M. G. Sullivan, "A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain, 1660-1851", London 2009, p. 194; "Holme Cardwell ', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951", University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011