George Bullock (c.1777–1818) was a

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and furniture-maker working in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Life

George Bullock was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, where his mother ran an exhibition of wax models in the late 1790s. His brother, William Bullock, opened a museum of curiosities in the city in 1800. He moved it to

the next year, and George went with him. By 1804, George Bullock had left his brother's museum, and gone into business with a looking-glass maker called William Stoakes. They advertised themselves as "Cabinet Makers, General Furnishers and Marble Workers", trading from a showroom called the "Grecian Rooms" in Bold Street, Liverpool. Around 1806, Bullock dissolved his partnership with Stoakes and took over the Mona marble quarries at Llanvechell on the island of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

for a lease of £1000. The marble was shipped to Liverpool, where it was used for chimneypieces and other decorations. He used it widely in his furnishing schemes, such as the refurbishment of Thomas Johnes’ house at

Hafod Hafod is a district of the city of Swansea, in South Wales, U.K., and lies just north of the city centre, within the Landore ward. Hafod is the home to the Hafod Copperworks, founded in 1810 and closed in 1980 which is now being developed i ...

. He also supplied marble to other sculptors. At about this time, a guide to Liverpool described his Grecian Rooms as offering "an extensive assortment of elegant and fashionable furniture; as also, statues, figures, tripods, candelabra, antique lamps, sphinxes, griffins, &c., in marble, bronze, and artificial stone." Bullock also stocked "a good collection of ancient and modern busts; among the latter, those of many of the most distinguished characters in Liverpool and its neighbourhood, modelled by himself." Following the success of his company he moved to London in 1813, becoming director of the Mona Marble Works. These marbles were used in the monuments to the Rev Glover Moore in St Cuthbert's in

Halsall Halsall is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, located close to Ormskirk on the A5147 and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Description Historically known as Heleshala, Herleshala, (Domesday Book); Haleshal, 1224; Haleshale, 1275; ...

, Lancashire, and to Anna Maria Bold in St Luke's in Farnworth, Lancashire. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and the Liverpool Academy between 1804 and 1816. He was the President of the Liverpool Academy in 1810 and 1811. He also undertook commissions for his furniture designs, notably for

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

and for the government, to provide furnishings for

Napoleon's Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

exile on

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

. He died at home 4 Tenterden Street near

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much lar ...

in London.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis

Known works

*Bust of William Roscoe (1804) *Bust of the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

(1806) *Statue of

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

(1807) in

(from Coade stone) *Bust of Sir

William Elford Sir William Elford, 1st Baronet (August 1749 – 30 November 1837) was an English banker, politician, and amateur artist. Background William Elford of Bickham, Buckland Monachorum, Devon, was the elder son of the Reverend Lancelot Elford, of B ...

(1807) *Bust of Sarah Siddons (1808) *Bust of Sir James Smith (1810) *Bust of Dr Wilkinson (1810) *Bust of Lord Tamworth (1811) *Bust of

Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble ...

(1812)

References

*Terry Cavanagh-''Public Sculpture of Liverpool-LUP-1997'', quoting R.Gunniss, 1951, ''Dictionary Of British Sculptors 1660-1851'', new revised edition, undated, published in London).

External links

Items designed by George Bullock
in the V&A collection 1770s births 1818 deaths English sculptors English male sculptors Artists from Liverpool British cabinetmakers Year of birth uncertain {{UK-sculptor-stub