Marble Bust of Composer George F. Handel: Get It Before It’s Gone
Prefatory note: When you view the photo of this bust at eleganza.com, don’t be deceived by the (not-included) large-diameter marble base prominently displayed beneath the bust. The bust’s own attached base is the harder-to-see, blackish rectangle measuring about 4″ wide x 3.25″ deep x 1.25″ high.
Although my taste in music runs from “oldies pop” to “classical” (actually all periods from medieval through 20th century), and although it’s virtually impossible for me to pick a “favorite” composer (because I love the vast majority of them–including even the relatively obscure ones–when they’re at their compositional best), if I were compelled to name a favorite, it would be George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).
Handel was born a German; spent some of his musically formative years in Italy; and became, essentially, an English composer after 1712. Though Handel has long been inextricably linked with his most popular oratorio, Messiah, I must say that that undeniably worthy work is far from my favorite Handelian composition. In particular, its ubiquitous “Hallelujah” chorus gets on my nerves. If I never had to hear that confounded chorus again, I’d not feel deprived.] But, to me, Handel’s cantatas, operas and oratorios collectively constitute the ultimate synthesis of vocal and instrumental music, and this is not to mention Handel’s many sublime instrumental works, not least of which is the “Water Music.
In 2002, I decided to ornament my subterranean library with several modest Handelian objets d’art. First, I ordered two color portraits (framable prints) of Handel from England, and those items have flanked this computer desk ever since. [See my March 21, 2008 review of London’s National Portrait Gallery for more information.]
But I also wanted a sculpture–preferably a bust–of Master Handel to grace this desk’s hutch (i.e., a bookshelf housing an assortment of “classical music” reference books). But discovering any retail bust of Handel wasn’t quite so easy as finding one of Beethoven, Mozart, or several other big names.
Fortunately, I stumbled onto the “Eleganza” web site and this (12.5-inch-tall) bust of Handel. For my purposes, this sculpture worked beautifully. Its “museum white” hue harmonized well with the white lettering on the spines of the 20 volumes of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1995 softcover edition), whose volumes flanked it (ten books on either side of the bust). For several years, that was the arrangement that gratified me.
However, last year I added still other books to that shelf (including The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and The Viking Opera Guide), and there’s no longer sufficient shelf space for this “Handel”. And so, I transferred it to another area of my “library” room (i.e., upon a fireplace’s lower brick extension about ten inches above floor level), where it looks nearly, albeit not fully, as gratifying.
Actually, in its new location, this bust would look still nicer if it were not white but rather some slightly darker, “antiqued” hue. Therefore, my advice to anyone considering purchasing this bust would be to factor not only size but also color.
The “museum white” material composing this bust (i.e., everything above the genuine-marble base) is currently termed “bonded stone” by Eleganza. But when I ordered this bust in 2002, they called it “bonded marble” In any case, most of the “museum white” finish isn’t nearly as glossy as that of the genuine marble busts one commonly thinks of. The only part that’s actually conventional marble is the smallish (4″ wide x 3.25″ deep x 1.25″ high) base. My specimen’s base is clearly genuine marble, with an agreeable streak of white within a dark hue midway between gray and black. Mind, the quality of the marble is far from what Michelangelo would’ve deemed acceptable for his purposes, but it looks plenty nice enough for this sort of product.
The bust I received in 2002 weighs 11 pounds, 14 ounces. In any case, this is a rather heavy piece for its size; and when I opened the shipping container, I was relieved to discover that Eleganza’s packing was quite sufficient to protect against breakage during transit. Presumably, the more recent owners of the same web site (eleganza.com) continue to take equal pains to pack their shipments securely. If you wish to double-check such details with them, either phone their toll-free number (1-877-675-2634) or email them at: [email protected].
This bust requires only modest care and attention. Beyond a light, occasional dusting, the most that you’ll likely need to do is use a brush having soft, lengthy bristles to remove dust accumulating within the many interstices of Handel’s wig, etc. And do take care to keep this object away from rambunctious youngsters or pets, for its massy (nearly 12-pound) feel suggests that it could incur unsightly, irreversible damage if knocked from a precarious perch.
When I bought this in late 2002, I paid (if memory serves) slightly less than $200, even including the shipping fee. As of this writing, it’s selling for a whopping $212, not including a shipping fee of $14.95 (quite reasonable, considering its heaviness).
If my “classical” library were still larger and less crowded, perhaps I’d also avail myself of Eleganza’s several other “composer” busts, which currently include Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, and Wagner. Unfortunately, I see that they no longer are selling the Bach, Mozart, and still other composer busts that I recall admiring at their site previously. This makes me wonder how much longer their shrinking assortment of “composer” busts will be offered at all. Therefore, if this “Handel” is a piece that you yourself would enjoy owning, perhaps you’d best spring for it pronto. “He who hesitates….”
