Studies of a male and a female nude for the 'Fall of Adam' or 'Adam and Eve' vase, c. 1856?

Henry Hugh Armstead RA (1828 - 1905)

RA Collection: Art

According to Armstead's handwritten key, these nude studies relate to his design for a silver vase entitled 'The Fall of Adam'. In 1856 Armstead exhibited a piece listed as 'Adam and Eve conscious of their Fall, etc.' which may be the same design.

Henry Hugh Armstead was a versatile artist who trained with his father, a heraldic chaser, before studying at the Government Schools of Design and later enrolling at the Royal Academy Schools to study sculpture. During the 1850s and 1860s he frequently worked for firms like Hancock's and Hunt and Roskell, providing designs for silver presentation pieces like this cup. It is notable that Armstead made life drawings like this for the figure groups depicted on silver plate, a practice that reflects the academic side of his training.