View in the East Nave; Godfrey of Bouillon, by Simonis, from "Recollections of the Great Exhibition, 1851"
John Absolon British
Lithographer Day & Son, Ltd., London British
Publisher Lloyd Brothers & Co. British
Not on view
At the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, held in London in 1851, displays of art and manufacture were shown at the Crystal Palace, a specially-built glass and iron building in Hyde park designed by Joseph Paxton. Between May and October more than six million visitors flocked to view thousands of objects organized by theme and place of origin at the first world’s fair. This representation of the Belgian display centers on a plaster version of Eugène Simonis's huge sculpture of the medieval hero Godfrey of Bouillon, reproducing an 1848 bronze version installed outside the Royal Palace in Brussels. Smaller marbles by the sculptor surround the base, and ecclesiastical furnishings are glimpsed in the Gallery above. Publishers Lloyd Brothers teamed with lithographers Day & Son to create the hand-colored set to which the print belongs, the whole offering well-to-do visitors a detailed and beautifully produced souvenir.
