John Graham Lough, the son of a blacksmith, was born in Greenhead in the parish of Shotley, just west of Consett. By the age of 30 he was one of the best known and fashionable sculptors in England.
Executed specifically for the Duchess of Northumberland, The Infant Lyrist is one of the very few identifiable works from the three years Lough spent in Rome; another is the James Losh memorial at the Literary and Philosophical Society in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Lough's reputation as one of the great sculptors of his day was well established; in 1845 he won the commission for the Lord Collingwood statue at Tynemouth and in 1862 his memorial to George Stephenson outside Central Station was unveiled to a crowd of over 100,000 people.
Presented by the 10th Duke of Northumberland, 1954. By John Graham Lough (1798-1876)
On display in the foyer at the Hatton Gallery, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
www.hattongallery.org.uk
