Charles Francis Summers (1858-1945) was an Australian sculptor. The son of the British-born sculptor

Charles Summers Charles Summers (27 July 1825 – 24 October 1878) was an English sculptor active in London, Melbourne and Rome. He was an important figure in the Australian art world of the 1850s and 60s, and is particularly remembered as the creator of the ...

, he worked mainly in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, travelling back and forth to Australia to sell his pieces.

Career

Summers lived in

for thirty years, studying sculpture under his father, and drawing with Italian painter Ludovico Seitz. In Melbourne, he had a studio in the

Grosvenor Chambers Grosvenor Chambers, at number 9 Collins Street, Melbourne, contained the first custom-built complex of artists' studios in Australia. The construction costs were almost £6,000 and the building opened in April 1888. The owner was Charles Stewar ...

, and later, in Jolimont. He was amongst the first to quarry marble in Victoria, in the area of Benambra.

Works

A selection of Summers's works is preserved in the Art Museum of

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

, New Zealand. A number of Summers' sculptures including ''La Ballerina'' (c.1880s), ''The Four Seasons'' (''Spring'', ''Summer'', ''Autumn'', and ''Winter'') (c. 1870s), and ''The Boxers'' are situated in the

Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government a ...

. Five of his sculptures (''Flight From Pompeii'', ''Modesty'', ''Rebekah'', ''Ruth'', and ''Susannah'') along with the pavilion in which they are housed are listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

and are located in the

Ballarat Botanical Gardens The Ballarat Botanical Gardens Reserve, located on the western shore of picturesque Lake Wendouree, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, covers an area of 40 hectares which is divided into three distinct zones. The central Botanical Gardens reserve ...

. "The Shunammite Woman" and "An Episode of Pompeii"is held by the

Bendigo Art Gallery Bendigo Art Gallery is an Australian art gallery located in Bendigo, Victoria. It is one of the oldest and largest regional art galleries. History The gallery was founded in 1887. The gallery's collection was first housed in the former Bendigo ...

References

External links

''A Peverse Past: The Persistence Of Objects'' - thesis about Summers and his works (restricted access)Charles Francis Summers: Australian Art and Artists file at the State Library Victoria
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Charles Francis 19th-century Australian sculptors 20th-century Australian sculptors 1858 births 1945 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing Date of birth missing Date of death missing Victorian Heritage Register Artists from the Colony of Victoria