While he would spend the majority of his career in Italy, his patronage remained firmly rooted in the British (and specifically Yorkshire) milords.
Small-scale depictions of animals and children were his stock in trade, with the first of many recorded animal groups, Greyhound and her Puppies, commissioned by the 6th Duke of Devonshire in 1823.
Signature to marble group of a vixen and two fox cubs by Joseph Gott – €13,500 (£12,300) at Sheppards.
The white marble group pictured above, signed to the 2ft 6in (75cm) oval base J Gott Ft, depicts a vixen and her two cubs. It was among the furnishings of Eyrefield Lodge, a stud farm in Kildare, which were sold by Sheppards (25% buyer’s premium) of Durrow on March 11.
The property, owned for half a century by Sir Edmund and Lady Susan and Loder, has recently been sold with the couple downsizing following a move to London.
This sculpture was a much-loved family piece and it proved similarly commercial, selling well above the €1500-2500 guide at €13,500 (£11,610).
