Lord Rochester, His Whore And A Monkey

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, 1647 – 1680, was an English poet and courtier of King Charles II’s Restoration court. The Restoration reacted against the of the Puritan era. Rochester was the embodiment of the new era, and he is as well known for his rakish lifestyle as his poetry, although the two were often interlinked. In 1669 he committed treason by boxing the ears of Thomas Killigrew in sight of the monarch, and in 1673 he accidentally delivered an insulting diatribe to the King. He died at the age of 33 from venereal disease.

Commissioned by the publisher the late Felix Dennis for his Garden of Heroes & Villians in Dorsington, Warwickshire. The subject of Lord Rochester, libertine, was close to Felix’s heart. Both men drank and whored to excess whilst writting poetry. May their memories live on in this sculpture.

Details:

  • Material: Bronze
  • Size: 48" x 96" x 72" / 1.22 m x 2.44 m x 1.83 m