This little-known masterpiece is a pivotal work in the development of British sculpture at the end of the 19th century. The bust was entirely carved by Gilbert, the most talented and idiosyncratic sculptor of Victorian Britain. It is the only surviving marble by him in the UK.

The Fitzwilliam devoted the Hartley-Johnson Bequest to this acquisition of international significance, along with gifts from individual benefactors and a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. This legacy gift was made by long-time Cambridge resident and museum supporter Harry Johnson after the death of his partner William Hartley. 

Sir Alfred Gilbert RA (1854–1934) was the most famous and significant sculptor of the Victorian era, and leader of the New Sculpture movement (1880–1900) which focused on domestic sculpture of a spiritual and symbolist nature, and architectural decoration. Gilbert’s best-known work is ‘Eros’, the dynamically posed figure that crowns the Shaftesbury Memorial at Piccadilly Circus (1886–93).