John Cheere (1709–1787) was an English sculptor, born in London. Brother of the sculptor Sir

Henry Cheere Sir Henry Cheere, 1st Baronet (1703 – 15 January 1781) was a renowned English sculptor and monumental mason.George Edward Cokayne, ed., ''The Complete Baronetage'', 5 volumes (no date, c.1900); reprint, (Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1983), ...

, he was originally apprenticed as a haberdasher from 1725 to 1732.

Life

Among his works were a gilt equestrian statue of William III in

St James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was one of the three or f ...

, London, made in 1739, and a gilded lead statue of

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

for

Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

, in 1751. His most lasting legacy, however, are probably his lead statues for gardens. These kinds of sculptures were popular for the

summer house A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...

s of the 18th century’s aristocracy. Some were reproductions of classical

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

sculptures, but there was also a demand for statues depicting simple, pastoral themes. In 1756, the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

minister in London placed an order with Cheere for 98 lead sculptures for the royal palace of Queluz. He also created several mythological statues for the gardens at Stourhead, in 1751 and 1766, and a life-size lead figure of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

for the jubilee celebrations in Stratford-on-Avon in 1769, on the commission of the actor

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

. Cheere died in London in 1787. Several of the sculptures from Queluz had not been on public view since 1967, and have been restored by Rupert Harris Conservation, in London, and returned to Portugal in May 2009. This restoration was in part made possible by the World Monuments Fund Britain. The

Medici lions The Medici lions are a pair of marble sculptures of lions: one of which is Roman, dating to the 2nd century AD, and the other a 16th-century pendant. Both were by 1598 placed at the Villa Medici, Rome. Since 1789 they have been displayed at th ...

at Stowe House have been attributed to Cheere.The Stowe Lions by John Cheere
World Monuments Fund Britain, 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013
Archived here.
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Gallery

George II statue St Helier Jersey.jpg, ''George II'' (1751) in the Royal Square, Saint Helier John Cheere Sheperdess.JPG, ''Shepherdess'' (c. 1760-70), at Kew Gardens, London Sphinx_by_John_Cheere_protecting_the_rear_of_Chiswick_Villa.JPG, ''Sphinx'' at

Chiswick House Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694– ...

Palacio da Queluz (21095271506).jpg , ''Summer'' at

Queluz National Palace The Palace of Queluz ( pt, Palácio de Queluz, ) is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe ...

, Portugal Palácio Nacional de Queluz e jardins 74.jpg , ''Bacchus and Ariadne'' at

, Portugal Palácio Nacional de Queluz e jardins 75.jpg , ''Venus and Adonis'' at

, Portugal Wrest Park statue of Harlequin.jpg, ''Harlequin'' at

Wrest Park Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion. History Thomas Carew (1 ...

, England

References

External links

John Cheere
The Henry Moore Foundation/Paul Mellon Centre. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheere, John 1709 births 1787 deaths English sculptors English male sculptors