Details of Sculptor

Surname

Gosset

Alternative Surname

First Name

Matthew

Initial of Surname

G

Year of Birth/Baptism

1683

Flourished

Year of Death

1744

Biographical Details

A sculptor, wax-modeller and picture frame maker, he was the uncle of Isaac Gosset. He was French by birth but fled with his family from Normandy and settled in England where he became naturalized. He married Jeanne Ester le Touzay in 1700 and they had one child, Angelique-Elizabeth, who was born on 10 May 1709. Gosset’s yard was at St Anne’s, Westminster where in 1714, he bound apprentice ‘Rodney, son of Joseph Stone’ (Apprenticeship Lists, TNA I.R.1/3).
In 1718 Lady Arabella Furnese noted in her account book a payment to Gosset of £10 for ‘a frame for the fine picture’(2). The next recorded payment was to Sir Godfrey Kneller for portraits of herself and her husband, so the frame may have been for one of these. Gossett was employed by Earl Fitzwalter at Moulsham Hall, Essex, in 1732. His work there included 'a Carv’d frame for a marble table’, ‘a Large frame of a Table’ and ‘Two frames for my wife’s and my picture at full length’ (3).
Sir J Percival was probably referring to Matthew Gosset when he wrote in his diary for 13 March 1730, ‘Today I went to see Mr Gosset’s representation of ye Court of France in wax, as big as the life, and clothed in ye habits ye Court of France wore last year, being given to him for that purpose. Nothing can be finer done or more like, tho’ only the Duke of bourbon’s face was taken off in plaster of Paris. He was so content he gave Mr Gosset a complete suit and 80 Louis Dores’ (BL Add MS 47061, cited by Pyke 1973, 59) (1). Four oval wax plaques which belonged to Augusta, the widow of Arthur Gosset RA, in the late-19th century were thought to be Matthew Gosset’s work. They depicted A Caledonian boar hunt, Perseus with Medusa’s head, The wars of the Titans against the gods and Ganymede in the palace of Jupiter and were ‘beautifully finished’ (Gosset 1888-91, 551).
Gosset was elected a member of the Spalding Society in 1728 and was later one of the Band of Pensioners of George II. He was buried in St Marylebone, where, according to the epitaph, his monument ‘had on it a specimen of his work’ (Gosset 1888-91, 545). In his will Gosset left bequests to his wife Esther, his brother Henry and his nephews Gideon and Isaac. A house on the east side of Berwick Street was part of his estate. Vertue later noted that Gosset was ‘much esteemd for his works, casting in wax all sorts of small figures from Ivory - carvings - antient and modern, statues, busts, medallions etc by which he gaind a considerable fortune and dyd rich’ (Vertue, III, 160).
MGS
Literary References: Gosset 1888-91, 540-68; Gunnis 1968, 176; Pyke 1973, 59; Murdoch and Hebditch 1985, 313-4; ODNB (Craske)
Archival References: GPC
Will: PROB 11/732 (29 March 1744)