Page:Nollekens and His Times, Volume 2.djvu/168

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156
NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES.

He then resided in George-yard, near Soho-square, in Oxford-road, and exhibited at the Royal Academy a medallion of King George the Third, and a group of Bacchanalians. In the succeeding year, he produced a model in bas-relief, the subject the Good Samaritan.

In I77I, he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy; and exhibited a cast from his model of Mars, a very beautiful performance, of which he carved in marble a statue as large as life, for the Hon. Mr. Pelham, afterwards Lord Yarborough, now in the hall of the present Lord's town-residence in Arlington-street; where there are also numerous busts in marble by Nollekens. The following year, Bacon exhibited a model of a Child; and in 1773, a bust in marble, and a design for his own door-plate in artificial stone.

Johnson, the builder of Berners-street, who had been extremely kind to Bacon in the early part of his life, made a purchase of very extensive premises in Newman-street purposely for him, but entirely without his knowledge. As soon as he communicated to him what he had done, Bacon exclaimed, "How could you do so? I am not able to enter upon any thing of the kind."—"Yes, you are," replied Johnson. "Go into them, and I shall never expect