Robert Burns statue, George Square Glasgow

George Edwin Ewing (8 July 1828 – 26 April 1884) was a Scottish sculptor. He was born in Birmingham, the son of sculptor James Ewing and the brother of sculptor James Alexander Ewing. He grew up in Edinburgh and Glasgow and learned his trade in Liverpool and London, including in the modelling room of

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, before setting up in business in Glasgow in 1859. He then spent some time in Rome in the 1860s studying under the sculptor John Gibson before returning to Glasgow in 1862. He went on to be the most successful Scottish sculptor of his time. Whilst his reputation stemmed from his marble busts of prominent Scots and the Royal Family, his most well-known commission was the bronze statue of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

George Square George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Sq ...

, Glasgow, created in 1874–77, which was later enhanced with three bronze panels by his brother James in 1885–7. Whereas much of his work on public buildings has been lost during demolition, significant works remain to be seen in the cemeteries of Glasgow and Edinburgh. In 1879 he moved to America for health reasons, working in New York and Philadelphia, but achieving only limited success. His body was found in a gas-filled room in 1884 at the Brevoort Hotel, New York, where he was working on medallion portraits of

Sir Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

and

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

. He was buried at

Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several b ...

Works

* Mrs William Sim (1862) * Lord Clyde (1863) * Lord Elcho; Daniel Macnee; Thomas Faed; John Baird, of Cambusdoon * Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales (1869) * Sir Archibald Alison, the politician * Sir Charles Tennent, the chemical manufacturer * Queen Victoria and Prince Albert medallions, Albert Bridge, Glasgow (1871) * William Sim, Contractor to Glasgow Corporation's Police and Statute Labour Committee (1872) *

(1877)

References

External links

Discovery of Lord Clyde bust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewing, George Edwin 1828 births 1884 deaths Scottish sculptors Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery