Sandy A M O’Connor (British b.1954) Bronze bust of Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), chocolate brown patina, with original custom-made patinated steel pedestal. Signed and titled. 66” high x 15.5” Wide x 12” deep (max dimensions of bust on pedestal).

Note: It was very difficult to get the colour right in our images, it rather depends on the light source. The patina colour in daylight is similar to that of milk chocolate. The second from last image (of the "BURTON" inscription) is most accurate.

One of four casts of Sandy O’Connor’s portrait bust (1990) of Victorian explorer and polymath, Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS, commissioned by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) to which it was presented and unveiled by Dr. John Hemming on the 27th October, 1992. It is a striking, proud, characterful, brave and outstanding piece, finely portraying a man of those same qualities. So much does this piece capture the man, the bust clearly shows the scars on each of Burton’s cheeks from wounds sustained whilst on expedition near Berbera from an attack by Isaaq-clan Somali warriors. Impaled by a javelin entering one cheek and exiting the other, Burton nonetheless made his escape, with the weapon still skewering his head. He was one tough cookie!

One of the other two is believed to be in the collections of the Huntington Library in Los Angeles. Another, without pedestal, was sold at Christie's London, 17 Sep 1998 Exploration and Travel auction, Lot number 82, for £3,450 including buyer’s premium.

MEASUREMENTS:
Bust on Pedestal. Height: 167cm (66”). Width: 39cm (15.5”). Depth: 30cm (12”).
Bust only: Height: 45cm (17.7”). Width: 39cm (15.5”). Depth: 21cm (8.5”).
Weight: Bust only: 12.5kg (27.5Lbs) Pedestal only: 45.9kg (109Lbs)

We would consider offers for the bust without the pedestal but would prefer to keep them together, if possible.

MARKS: Titled “BURTON” on the front of the base of the bust. Signed “SANDY A.M.O.” on the right of the base of the bust.

CONDITION: Excellent. A couple of very tiny scratches only visible under detailed close-up examination.

SHIPPING;
Our price includes packing and shipping by air to the United States. We will use a specialist packing and shipping firm to pack, crate, and ship this. Please note that this may take several days and that any import costs or sales taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:
Based in Worcester, England, Sandy O’Connor is one of Contemporary Art’s most celebrated living artists and sculptors, whose paintings are strikingly modern, vibrant and thought-provoking. It is, however, his sculptures for which he is, perhaps, best known; his personal approach developed since a young age, honed into his own distinctive style.

Whilst cast bronze has been Sandy O’Connor’s medium for his portrait busts, he also uses other media, creating majestic pieces in stainless steel (used for a number of his commissions from British Steel itself) and in steel, of animals, figures, and, his specialty, birds. These pieces vary in size, from his much admired ‘Osprey’ using a tonne and a half of galvanised steel, to foot-high figurines.

From an early age O’Connor has steadily developed a sculpting technique and style unique unto himself; using his unconventional sculpting method, he has carved a place amongst today's leading Sculptors. BBC and ITV have both filmed features of the Sculptor at work and some of his past commissions. Harrods of London has exhibited and also sold his work.
Although he specialises in birds, his animal and figurine work has grown to be as successful. His Sculptures vary in size from a 12 inch bronze figurine to a one and half tonne galvanized steel Osprey. Several commissions in stainless steel have been completed for British Steel, including the "British Steel Around the World Yacht Race Trophy''.

SUBJECT BIOGRAPHY
Sir Richard Francis Burton (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British Army Captain critical of colonialism, who at the age of 30 travelled to Mecca in disguise, risking death if discovered. Further explorations followed: with John Hanning Speke he was the first of Europeans (engaged by the RGS) to journey the Great Lakes of Africa, searching for the source of the Nile. He was, besides soldier, explorer and geographer: a diplomat, a scholar, a linguist and translator (incl. Arabian Nights, The Perfumed Garden, and KamaSutra); a writer, poet, cartographer, ethnologist, orientalist, fencer, and spy. This piece truly pays homage to and immortalises the memory of a remarkable life.