July 14, 2014
Jane Austen Waxwork
Jane Austen Waxwork
We had a great time unveiling our new Jane Austen waxwork to the assembled media folk on Wednesday 9th of July. Reaction was overwhelmingly positive when the curtains were parted. The waxwork is now on public display. Developed from a forensic portrait of the author by Melissa Dring, the waxwork has been over 2 years in the making. Members of the team behind her creation, especially brought together for the project, were in attendance at the event, - the internationally-renowned sculptor, an FBI-trained forensic artist and a Bafta and Emmy award-winning costume designer. (See their biographies below) The novels of Jane Austen are known throughout the world, her heroes and heroines have been brought to life in many adaptations, and the industry which has built up around her name is significant. So whilst people happily associate Jane Austen’s characters with the actors who portray them, perhaps most famously Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, there remains a real desire to possess a likeness of the writer herself. Uncovering the Real Jane Austen (taster) from Grace Productions on Vimeo. The only verifiable image of Jane Austen is a small watercolour painted by her sister Cassandra but it has been acknowledged by experts as a poor attempt and was described by her niece as ‘hideously unlike’ her aunt Jane. However, there are many contemporary descriptions of her by friends and this is where the Jane Austen Centre enters the picture. The chance reading in 2002 of an article about forensic artist Melissa Dring’s work in creating a likeness of the composer Vivaldi from eye-witness accounts spurred David Baldock, Director of The Jane Austen Centre, into action. David contacted and commissioned Melissa to create a new portrait of Jane. And then a year later, David engaged handwriting expert Patricia Field to reveal further aspects of Jane’s character through a ‘blind’ study of handwriting samples.

Posted in: Andrea Galer, author, Bath, David Baldock, England, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Centre, Mark Richards, Melissa Dring, pride and prejudice, UK, waxwork
1 comment
This is breathtaking! It is a beautiful sculpture “she” looks like a real gentle yet a very determined woman. A real pretty English rose.
papagano
July 26, 2020