Sir Alfred GilbertMrs Macloghlin 1906-7

Eliza Macloghlin (1863-1928) met Gilbert in 1905 when she commissioned a memorial for her husband, the surgeon Edward Macloghlin. She worked closely with Gilbert on the project, and became infatuated with him. Their relationship was passionate and intense, which shows in Gilbert's bust of her, with its ecstatic pose and writhing putti. The back of the bust is inscribed in Latin 'Alas! The fleeting years glide by!' Their friendship was broken off in 1907 after Eliza quarrelled with Gilbert about the length of time he was taking over her husband's monument, and she broke all the windows of his studio. She gave this bust to the gallery in 1915.