Wooden Caricature of Duke of Wellington

This wooden image was brought back from Spain by Major Henry Percy. He had served as an aide-de-camp (officer assisting a general) to the Duke of Wellington during the long war against the French forces in the Iberian Peninsula. Major Percy probably bought this statue as a memento of his old commander.

It can be dated by the decoration worn by the Duke, which is probably a stylised depiction of the Order of the Garter, which he was awarded in 1814. The laurel leaves carved on the base also give us a clue, since these were traditionally associated with conquering heroes, which the Duke was certainly seen as at the end of the Peninsular War. This reputation was only enhanced when he led the Anglo-Allied army to victory in the Battle of Waterloo.

After Waterloo, the Duke became a popular figure for cartoonists and sculptors to depict in prints and on commemorative jugs or vases. His dashing figure, distinctive personality, and pronounced nose all made him easy to caricature, at once instantly recognisable and widely celebrated.

In later years, the Duke of Wellington’s popular reputation changed dramatically. In 1828 the Duke resigned as commander-in-chief of the British Army to become Prime Minister at the head of the Tory party. The Duke was used to commanding soldiers, not debating with politicians. He is reported to have said after his first Cabinet meeting with his Ministers: “An extraordinary affair. I gave them their orders and they wanted to stay and discuss them.”

The Duke also quickly became unpopular with the general public. An arch-conservative, he rejected all attempts to reform the structure of British politics, which was completely dominated by a wealthy, Christian and male elite. Popular demand for reform was great, and angry mobs jeered at the Duke in the street, and pelted his London home, Apsley House, with stones. The Duke’s reputation did not recover until after he left office, when the 1832 Great Reform Act changed Parliament to be somewhat more democratic – against the Duke’s wishes.