Happy 250th Anniversary of the birth of Horatio Nelson.

Nelson bust unveiled on birthday

“A bust of naval hero Lord Nelson is being unveiled in Portsmouth to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth.
The life-size bronze model was commissioned by an anonymous donor who wanted it to be displayed in Nelson’s spiritual home.

Sculptor Robert Hornyold-Strickland, the son of a naval officer, wanted to create a realistic portrait of Nelson as he looked on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar rather than the romanticised vision often portrayed in paintings and sculptures of earlier generations.

He based it on expert advice and a life mask of Nelson produced in Vienna in 1800.

He said: “Having satisfied myself that the mask was the best likeness I could get, I used it to depict Nelson a few years later, on the eve of Trafalgar in 1805.”

Nelson is shown with a queue, or ponytail, held in place by a piece of cloth tied in a bow.