Francis John Williamson | |
---|---|
Born |
Hampstead, London, England | 17 July 1833
Died | 12 March 1920
Esher, Surrey, England | (aged 86)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Sculptor |
Francis John Williamson (17 July 1833 [1] – 12 March 1920 [1]) was a British portrait sculptor, [2] reputed to have been Queen Victoria's favourite. [3]
After studying under John Bell he was an articled pupil of John Henry Foley for seven years, and his studio assistant for a further fourteen. [1]
Williamson exhibited with the Royal Academy of Arts 38 times from 1853–1897. [1] and with the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1868, when he showed several items, including a medallion depicting Mrs W. Wills, 1887 and 1902. [1] It was during his time with Foley that he first met Victoria. [1] In 1870, she commissioned a memorial to George IV's daughter Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince Leopold (Victoria's uncle) which was erected inside their former home, Claremont. [1] [4] (The memorial was subsequently moved to St George's Church, Esher. [4]) Many members of the royal family subsequently sat for him, [1] and in 1887 he sculpted the (Golden) Jubilee bust of Queen Victoria, which was replicated for display around the British Empire. [1]
Williamson received a number of commissions from the municipal authorities in Birmingham. These included a marble bust of the Shakespearian scholar Samuel Timmins, [2] now in the Library of Birmingham, a statue of the dissenting theologian and natural philosopher Joseph Priestley, now in Chamberlain Square, [2] a statue of Sir Josiah Mason, (destroyed, but a 1952 bronze cast of the bust, by William Bloye, is in the suburb of Erdington), a statue of preacher and reformer George Dawson (since destroyed), a statue of John Skirrow Wright (also destroyed; a 1956 bronze cast of the bust by Bloye is in Birmingham Council House), and the decoration on the pediment of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, a work known as the Allegory of Fame Rewarding the Arts. [2] A plaster cast of his bust of Tennyson (1893) is in the National Portrait Gallery. [5]
He met his future wife, Elizabeth Smith, while staying in Esher and they married in 1857 [5] In 1860, they set up a home and him a studio at Fairholme, 79, High Street, Esher, [3] [6] where he eventually died. [5] The building (later named "The Bunch of Grapes" and now "Grapes House" [5]) is extant, [3] and carries a blue plaque, erected by the Esher Residents Association in 2010, in commemoration of Williamson. [5]
His younger brother John Henry Williamson (born c. 1843) was a silversmith. [1]
Francis John Williamson | |
---|---|
Born |
Hampstead, London, England | 17 July 1833
Died | 12 March 1920
Esher, Surrey, England | (aged 86)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Sculptor |
Francis John Williamson (17 July 1833 [1] – 12 March 1920 [1]) was a British portrait sculptor, [2] reputed to have been Queen Victoria's favourite. [3]
After studying under John Bell he was an articled pupil of John Henry Foley for seven years, and his studio assistant for a further fourteen. [1]
Williamson exhibited with the Royal Academy of Arts 38 times from 1853–1897. [1] and with the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1868, when he showed several items, including a medallion depicting Mrs W. Wills, 1887 and 1902. [1] It was during his time with Foley that he first met Victoria. [1] In 1870, she commissioned a memorial to George IV's daughter Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince Leopold (Victoria's uncle) which was erected inside their former home, Claremont. [1] [4] (The memorial was subsequently moved to St George's Church, Esher. [4]) Many members of the royal family subsequently sat for him, [1] and in 1887 he sculpted the (Golden) Jubilee bust of Queen Victoria, which was replicated for display around the British Empire. [1]
Williamson received a number of commissions from the municipal authorities in Birmingham. These included a marble bust of the Shakespearian scholar Samuel Timmins, [2] now in the Library of Birmingham, a statue of the dissenting theologian and natural philosopher Joseph Priestley, now in Chamberlain Square, [2] a statue of Sir Josiah Mason, (destroyed, but a 1952 bronze cast of the bust, by William Bloye, is in the suburb of Erdington), a statue of preacher and reformer George Dawson (since destroyed), a statue of John Skirrow Wright (also destroyed; a 1956 bronze cast of the bust by Bloye is in Birmingham Council House), and the decoration on the pediment of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, a work known as the Allegory of Fame Rewarding the Arts. [2] A plaster cast of his bust of Tennyson (1893) is in the National Portrait Gallery. [5]
He met his future wife, Elizabeth Smith, while staying in Esher and they married in 1857 [5] In 1860, they set up a home and him a studio at Fairholme, 79, High Street, Esher, [3] [6] where he eventually died. [5] The building (later named "The Bunch of Grapes" and now "Grapes House" [5]) is extant, [3] and carries a blue plaque, erected by the Esher Residents Association in 2010, in commemoration of Williamson. [5]
His younger brother John Henry Williamson (born c. 1843) was a silversmith. [1]