Wax was a common modeling material around 1800, used for portraits and genre scenes, and Samuel Percy was one of the most celebrated exponents of wax sculpture. He was born and trained in Dublin but moved to London in 1774, where his multifigure scenes in colored wax appealed both to aristocratic patrons and to middle-class buyers. This ambitious scene of chimney sweeps was owned by the Earl of Shrewsbury, who collected over one hundred of Percy’s waxes. Percy has here emphasized the youthful high spirits of chimney sweeps rather than their poor hygiene, dangerous working conditions, and scant wages. Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)
