Sir Alfred Gilbert (12 August 18544 November 1934) was an English
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 ...
. He was born in London and studied sculpture under
Joseph Boehm
Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Baronet, (6 July 1834 – 12 December 1890) was an Austrian-born British medallist and sculptor, best known for the " Jubilee head" of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Par ...
,
Matthew Noble
Matthew Noble (23 March 1817 – 23 June 1876) was a leading British portrait sculptor. Carver of numerous monumental figures and busts including work memorializing Victorian era royalty and statesmen displayed in locations such as Westminster Ab ...
,
Édouard Lantéri
Édouard Lantéri (31 October 1848 – 22 December 1917) was a French-born British sculptor and medallist whose romantic French style of sculpting was seen as influential among exponents of New Sculpture. His name is also frequently spelle ...
and
Pierre-Jules Cavelier
Pierre-Jules Cavelier (30 August 1814, Paris – 28 January 1894, Paris) was a French academic sculptor.
Biography
The son of a silversmith and furniture maker, Cavelier was born in Paris. He was a student of the sculptors David d'Angers an ...
. His first work of importance was ''The Kiss of Victory'', followed by the trilogy of ''Perseus Arming'', ''Icarus'' and ''Comedy and Tragedy''. His most creative years were from the late 1880s to the mid-1890s, when he created celebrated works such as a memorial for the
Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which ...
and the
Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain.
As well as sculpture, Gilbert explored other techniques such as
goldsmithing and
damascening. He painted watercolours and drew book illustrations. He was made a member of the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
in 1892, yet his personal life was beginning to unravel as he took on too many commissions and entered into debt, whilst at the same time his wife's mental health deteriorated. Gilbert received a royal commission for the tomb of
Prince Albert Victor
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the re ...
in 1892, but was unable to finish it and the complaints from other dissatisfied clients began to build up. By the mid-1900s, Gilbert had been forced to declare himself bankrupt and to resign from the Royal Academy. He moved to Bruges in disgrace and separated from his wife. He later remarried, entering a period when he created few artworks.
However, in the 1920s his career was rehabilitated with the help of journalist Isabel McAllister. He returned to England and finally completed the tomb of Prince Albert Victor, as well as taking on new commissions such as the
Queen Alexandra Memorial. In 1932, Gilbert was reinstated as a member of the Royal Academy and was also knighted. He died in 1934, at the age of 80. Gilbert was a central inspiration for the
New Sculpture
New Sculpture was a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture with an emphasis on naturalistic poses and spiritual subjects. The movement was characterised by the production of free-standing statues and statuettes of 'ideal' figures from poe ...
movement and in the 21st-century is regarded as one of the foremost sculptors of the
Victorian age
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...
.
Early life
Alfred Gilbert was born 12 August 1854 at 13
Berners Street
Berners Street is a thoroughfare located to the north of Oxford Street in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, originally developed as a residential street in the mid-18th century by property developer William Berners (property de ...
, near
Oxford Street in central London. He was the eldest child of Charlotte Cole and Alfred Gilbert, who were both musicians.
Berners Street was at that time an area popular with artists and musicians: there were shops selling stained glass, carvings, printings and
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
artworks;
Ford Madox Brown and
Edward Hodges Baily
Edward Hodges Baily (10 March 1788 – 22 May 1867; sometimes misspelled ''Bailey'') was a prolific English sculptor responsible for numerous public monuments, portrait busts, statues and exhibition pieces as well as works in silver. He carved ...
had studios nearby; Leigh's Academy (run by
James Mathews Leigh
James Mathews Leigh (1808 – 20 April 1860) was an English art educator, painter, writer, dramatist and critic. He is best known as the founder of a popular private art school in London known as "Leigh's Academy", which eventually became t ...
) was nearby, later becoming
Thomas J. Heatherley School of Art.
Gilbert first attended William Kemshead's Academy for a few months in 1863, which was a naval school near
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
.
He then went to the
Mercers' School
The Mercers' School was an independent school in the City of London, England, with a history going back at least to 1542, and perhaps much further. It was operated by the Worshipful Company of Mercers and was closed in 1959.
History
After the diss ...
in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, afterwards switching to
Aldenham School in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, where his father taught music.
Gilbert later commented that "I always hated school".
He enjoyed more spending time with his paternal grandfather, who taught him how to
woodwork
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials ...
.
At Aldenham, Gilbert began to make portraits of his schoolfellows with clay he took from ditches and the headmaster Alfred Leeman was encouraging, to the extent that Gilbert made a full-length seated portrait of him in 1872.
Gilbert's father pushed him to become a surgeon, so he applied to the
Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...
and was accepted in 1872.
He then went for a scholarship at
Middlesex Hospital to work as a surgeon and was rejected, allowing him to pursue his true interest of
sculpture
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 ...
. Studying first at the Thomas J. Heatherley School of Art from 1872 until 1873, afterwards he went to the
Royal Academy Schools
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
from 1873 until 1875.
His fellow students included
Frank Dicksee
Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee (27 November 1853 – 17 October 1928) was an English Victorian painter and illustrator, best known for his pictures of dramatic literary, historical, and legendary scenes. He also was a noted painter of portr ...
,
Johnston Forbes-Robertson,
John Macallan Swan,
Hamo Thornycroft
Sir William Hamo Thornycroft (9 March 185018 December 1925) was an English sculptor, responsible for some of London's best-known statues, including the statue of Oliver Cromwell outside the Palace of Westminster. He was a keen student of classi ...
and
J. W. Waterhouse.
Eager to learn, he also worked in the studios of Sir
Joseph Boehm
Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Baronet, (6 July 1834 – 12 December 1890) was an Austrian-born British medallist and sculptor, best known for the " Jubilee head" of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Par ...
,
Matthew Noble
Matthew Noble (23 March 1817 – 23 June 1876) was a leading British portrait sculptor. Carver of numerous monumental figures and busts including work memorializing Victorian era royalty and statesmen displayed in locations such as Westminster Ab ...
, and William Gibbs Rogers.
Gilbert was to credit Boehm and his assistant
Édouard Lantéri
Édouard Lantéri (31 October 1848 – 22 December 1917) was a French-born British sculptor and medallist whose romantic French style of sculpting was seen as influential among exponents of New Sculpture. His name is also frequently spelle ...
as his true teachers.
Gilbert later travelled to Paris to study at the
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
under
Pierre-Jules Cavelier
Pierre-Jules Cavelier (30 August 1814, Paris – 28 January 1894, Paris) was a French academic sculptor.
Biography
The son of a silversmith and furniture maker, Cavelier was born in Paris. He was a student of the sculptors David d'Angers an ...
. He had fallen in love with his first cousin, Alice Jane Gilbert, and they were forced to
elope
Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...
.
In Paris they lived first at the Hôtel l'Artesian at Place de la Madeleine and then at 17 rue Humboldt.
Gilbert returned to England in April 1878 to be at the deathbed of his younger brother Gordon, who succumbed to
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
at the age of 20.
Later that year, Gilbert moved to Rome with his wife and two young children.
They lived at 63 Vicolo de'Miracoli, experiencing money problems as Gilbert waited to be paid for commissions whilst also having to pay rent.
By 1881, Gilbert was splitting his time between a new studio space at 18 Via San Basilio in Rome and
Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...
.
He returned to England in 1884.
Career
Early works
![PerseusArming Gilbert-1906 QldArtGall-20171112-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/PerseusArming_Gilbert-1906_QldArtGall-20171112-1.jpg)
Gilbert's first work of importance was ''The Kiss of Victory'' (1878–1881), which depicted a Roman soldier dying in the arms of Victory. He moved with his family to Rome in order to create the sculpture in marble, attracted by famed sculptors of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
such as
Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...
,
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...
,
Giambologna
Giambologna (1529 – 13 August 1608), also known as Jean de Boulogne (French), Jehan Boulongne (Flemish) and Giovanni da Bologna (Italian), was the last significant Italian Renaissance sculptor, with a large workshop producing large and small ...
and
Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the ...
.
It was exhibited at the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
in 1882.
''Perseus Arming'' (1882) was inspired by a visit to Florence and influenced by Donatello's ''
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
'' and Cellini's ''
Perseus with the Head of Medusa
''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'' is a bronze sculpture made by Benvenuto Cellini in the period 1545–1554. The sculpture stands on a square base which has bronze relief panels depicting the story of Perseus and Andromeda, similar to a p ...
''. It was Gilbert's first statue made in bronze.
The work was acclaimed and led
Frederic Leighton
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...
to commission ''Icarus'' (1884), which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1884, along with ''Study of a Head'' (1882–83). Gilbert also created ''The Enchanted Chair'' (), only to destroy it again.
He was commissioned by the Baroness von Fahnenberg to design a mausoleum in
Spa, Belgium, Belgium but she died without having signed a final agreement, leading him to sue for compensation.
Gilbert later stated to
Joseph Hatton that the bronze statues ''Perseus Arming'', ''Icarus'' and ''Comedy and Tragedy'' (1891–92) formed a trilogy which referenced his own life. ''Perseus Arming'' had a huge impact on a new generation of artists, becoming a particular inspiration for the
New Sculpture
New Sculpture was a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture with an emphasis on naturalistic poses and spiritual subjects. The movement was characterised by the production of free-standing statues and statuettes of 'ideal' figures from poe ...
movement, since the method of
casting
Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejected ...
(
lost wax
Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is ...
) was new to the English milieu and its height of 29 inches was innovative.
It was larger than a bibelot, which might decorate a drawing room, yet smaller than a typical sculpture.
Creative period
Having returned to England, Gilbert took a studio in a complex off
Fulham Road, where he built a
foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
with
Thomas Stirling Lee and
Edward Onslow Ford
Edward Onslow Ford (27 July 1852—23 December 1901) was an English sculptor. Much of Ford's early success came with portrait heads or busts. These were considered extremely refined, showing his subjects at their best and led to him receiving a ...
.
His next major work was again an innovation in terms of size: The Fawcett memorial (1885–87) featured a bronze bust of politician
Henry Fawcett
Henry Fawcett (26 August 1833 – 6 November 1884) was a British academic, politician, statesman and economist.
Background and education
Henry Fawcett was born in Salisbury, and educated at King's College School and the University of Cambri ...
above seven small detailed figures of around fifteen inches, which individually represented Fawcett's virtues.
The memorial received praise from critics when it was unveiled at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
on 29 January 1887.
By then Gilbert had been commissioned to produce another memorial, this time for
Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which ...
, which was placed in the Great Hall at
Winchester Castle. From the late 1880s to the mid-1890s he was in his most creative period. He diversified into
goldsmithing and
damascening, making an
epergne
An epergne ( ) is a type of table centerpiece that is usually made of silver but may be made of any metal, glass or porcelain.
An epergne generally has a large central "bowl" or basket sitting on three to five feet. From this center "bowl" ra ...
(1887–1890) given to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
by officers of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
and a chain for the mayor of
Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
(1888–1892).
Gilbert produced medals, such as the cast bronze portrait of
Matthew Ridley Corbet
Matthew Ridley Corbet (20 May 1850 – 25 June 1902) was a Victorian neoclassical painter.
Life
Corbet was born on 20 May 1850 at South Willingham, Lincolnshire, was son of the Rev. Andrew Corbet and Marianne Ridley. He was educated at ...
(1881) and the struck bronze medal marking 50 years of the
Art Union of London The Art Union of London, established in 1837, was an organisation which distributed works of art amongst its subscribers by lottery.
Art unions
Art unions were organisations created to function as patrons of art. Members would pay a small annual ...
(1887).
He also created spoons, cups, dishes and jewellery; many of his designs can be seen in the collection of Stichting van Caloen on display at
Loppem Castle
Loppem Castle ( nl, Kasteel van Loppem) is a mansion situated in Loppem in the municipality of Zedelgem, near Bruges in West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium.
Unusually, it preserves its original architecture and interior decoration. T ...
.
Marion Spielmann
Marion Harry Alexander Spielmann (London, 22 May 1858 – 1948) was a prolific Victorian art critic and scholar who was the editor of '' The Connoisseur'' and ''Magazine of Art''. Among his voluminous output, he wrote a history of ''Punch'', ...
, a contemporary art critic, wrote in 1901 "his taste is so pure, his genius so exquisitely right, that he may give full rein to his fancy without danger where another man would run riot and come to grief".
Gilbert's next work of note was the
Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain (1886–1893).
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (28 April 1801 – 1 October 1885), styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was a British Tory politician, philanthropist, and social reformer. He was the eldest son of The 6th Earl of Shaftesbury ...
, a philanthropist, had died in late 1885 and it was swiftly decided to commemorate his life with two monuments, one at Westminster Abbey and another at
Cambridge Circus, at the beginning of
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly Cir ...
(which was concurrently named after him).
The memorial was commissioned in 1886 and officially opened at
Piccadilly Circus in London in 1893. Gilbert had accepted the commission with assurances that he would be given used
gunmetal to melt down and reuse, however the government did not supply him with it. He had already produced the casts, so he was forced to buy
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
to use instead, which meant that he took a substantial financial hit; the fountain should have cost and in the end the figure was , with Gilbert being forced to make up the difference.
It was only because he had been experimenting with different techniques that he was able to cast
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
, a then new material which he used to create the statue which topped the sculpture.
It is commonly believed that the statue depicts
Eros, but it is actually his brother
Anteros
In Greek mythology, Anteros (; Ancient Greek: Ἀντέρως ''Antérōs'') was the god of requited love (literally "love returned" or "counter-love") and also the punisher of those who scorn love and the advances of others, or the avenger of u ...
, the avenger of unrequited love.
The fountain is now well-regarded and seen as a national treasure, but at the time it was controversial, with opinions on its value mixed. The mainstream media criticised the design of the fountain which led to passing flower girls being drenched in water and hooliganism meant it needed to be guarded for a year. Eight drinking cups on chains had been provided for pedestrians to quench their thirst and Gilbert stated that just one day after the opening, only two cups remained. He referred to the "painful experience of witnessing the utter failure of my intention and design".
In this period, Gilbert made statues of
Donald Mackay, 11th Lord Reay, and prison reformer
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
. He made memorials of the Duke of Clarence and of
Lord Arthur Russell, and a memorial font for the son of the
4th Marquess of Bath
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* The Fourth (1972 film) ...
.
He produced busts of
Cyril Flower, John R. Clayton (later broken up by the artist),
George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...
,
Henry Tate,
George Birdwood
Sir George Christopher Molesworth Birdwood (8 December 183228 June 1917) was an Anglo-Indian official, naturalist, and writer.
Life
The son of General Christopher Birdwood, he was born at Belgaum, then in the Bombay Presidency, on 8 December 1 ...
,
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and paleontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkable gift for interpreting fossils.
Owe ...
and
George Grove. He also designed the statue of
David Davies of Llandinam which stands in front of the
Barry Docks offices.
Gilbert was made a member of the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
in 1892. He received many other honours, such as
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
of the fourth class (1897).
He became a member of the
International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers and in 1889 he won the Grand Prix at the
Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Unfortunately, as his fame grew, his private life began to fall apart. By the time of Boehm's death in 1890, Gilbert had become England's best known living sculptor. He was a member of the
Athenaeum
Athenaeum may refer to:
Books and periodicals
* ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798
* ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921
* ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...
and
Garrick clubs in London and was a well-known figure with his cape, sombrero and walking-stick.
His friends included the artists Watts,
Edward Burne-Jones,
Frederic Leighton
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...
and
James Abbott McNeill Whistler.
Befriending
Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to:
;People:
* Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
* Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...
had brought him into
high society and he built a large house for his family with an attached studio in 16 Maida Vale, in north London, yet Gilbert's generous and extravagant lifestyle was leading him into debt. Moreover, his wife Alice was not at ease in London society and preferred to stay in a rented house in
Gomshall
Gomshall is a village in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England.OS Explorer map 145:Guildford and Farnham. Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton.
It is on the A25, roughly halfway between Guildford and Dorking, and i ...
, Surrey; soon after the unveiling of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, Alice had a breakdown and was committed to an asylum.
Without Boehm to advise him, Gilbert found it difficult to track commissions. He almost never drew up contracts with clients and thus it was easy for disagreements to arise.
In 1892, Gilbert was asked by the Prince (later
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
) and Princess of Wales (
Alexandra of Denmark) to build the tomb for their recently deceased eldest son
Prince Albert Victor
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the re ...
in
St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Prince Albert Victor had been heir to the throne and died of pneumonia resulting from contracting influenza during the
1889–1890 flu pandemic
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada.
** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in th ...
.
The tomb has been described by a critic as "the finest single example of late 19th-century sculpture in the British Isles".
[Roskill, Mark (1968). "Alfred Gilbert's Monument to the Duke of Clarence: A Study in the Sources of Later Victorian Sculpture." ''The Burlington Magazine''. Vol. 110 Issue 789, pp. 699–704.] A recumbent effigy of the prince wearing a Hussar uniform lies above the tomb. Kneeling over him is an angel, holding a heavenly crown. The tomb is surrounded by an elaborate railing, with figures of saints. The perfectionist Gilbert spent too much time and money on the commission.
Five of the saint figures were only completed with "a greater roughness and pittedness of texture" after his return to Britain in the 1920s.
Another 1892 commission which Gilbert struggled with was the ''Memorial Tablet to Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, First Earl of Lytton'' (1892–1902). Lady Lytton wished to remember her husband the politician
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...
with a plaque in the crypt of
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
. Having taken on the work, Gilbert never gave the plaque to her, despite frequent visits to his studio. Instead, she was forced to buy the bronze cast at a bankruptcy sale and to ask
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memori ...
(her son-in-law) to make a surrounding mould before it was eventually installed at St Paul's in 1903.
Disgrace
By 1898, Gilbert was in debt and the number of complaints from clients asking for completed works
was increasing. Instead of finishing the tomb for Prince Albert Victor, which only had seven of the twelve saints around it, Gilbert took another royal commission, namely building the mortuary chapel for
Prince Henry of Battenberg. Ultimately, Gilbert was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1901. He sent his family before him to
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
in Belgium and stayed behind to pack up his studio, destroying many casts in the process.
Edward VII offered Gilbert a studio at Windsor Castle where he could complete the tomb project but Gilbert only compounded his problems by asking the royal family for permission to publish photographs of the work in progress in ''
The Art Journal'' and then proceeding to do so even though he was explicitly asked not to.
To make matters worse, the photographs depicted the ivory and bronze statues which had been originally attached to the tomb and subsequently sold off by Gilbert in 1899. They had been replaced by the bronze casts which still sit on the tomb, but the king had paid for the originals and was angered, breaking off all communication with Gilbert.
By the mid-1900s, Gilbert was in serious problems. In 1904, he had separated from his wife. Dissatisfied clients had spoken to a gossip magazine called ''Truth'', which released two well-circulated critical articles in 1906. The
Duke of Rutland was driven to complain to the president of the Royal Academy (
Edward Poynter
Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy.
Life
Poynter was the son of architect Ambrose Poynter. He was born in Paris, Fr ...
) about an uncompleted order in 1908 and Gilbert was given the choice either to resign or to be expelled from the Academy.
Poynter commented "We have all come to the regretful conclusion that he is hopelessly incorrigible".
Gilbert decided to quit, resigning his professorship and also his Royal Victorian Order. Things deteriorated further when he had an affair with a client, Eliza Macloghlin, and she demanded to have the
funeral urn she had commissioned, ''Mr and Mrs Percy Plantagenet Macloghlin'' (1905–1909), also known as ''Mors Janua Vitae''.
Upon not receiving it, she threw stones at the windows of his studio in Bruges and wrote a demented letter to King Edward VII. Her handwriting was similar to Gilbert's and it was believed he had written the screed, making his situation even more dire. When his son Francis went to see Gilbert in 1908, he found him hungry and lacking adequate clothes. In this period, Gilbert completed few works.
He was able to finish ''A Dream of Joy during a Sleep of Sorrow'' (1908–1913), a bronze chimney piece commissioned by the Wilson family for their home in Leeds, yet instead of supplying an inset portrait of Mrs Wilson as requested, he included a watercolour painting of his second wife, Stéphanie Quaghebeur.
Rehabilitation
![London - panoramio (24)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/London_-_panoramio_%2824%29.jpg)
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Gilbert remained in Bruges.
Three illustrations for
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
's short story "
His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Holmes" were published in ''
The Strand Magazine'' in 1917 and in 1921 three more for "
The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
"The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom in October 1921, and w ...
".
He married his housekeeper Stéphanie Quaghebeur on 1 March 1918 and they moved to Rome together in 1924.
In the early 1920s, Gilbert had been largely forgotten about in England and was assumed to have died, since he had fled to Europe decades before. However, he was still receiving a
civil list pension and when the journalist Isabel McAllister took an interest in him, she was able to find him easily.
McAllister was a fan, commenting in 1932 "One must be entirely loyal to him, and never admit faults to those who ... are always ready to look out for them".
She decided to write his biography and campaigned for his re-acceptance in English high society. Writing to
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
and various dignitaries, she promoted Gilbert's talents, arguing it was time for him to finish the tomb of Prince Albert Victor and also that he was the perfect person to take the commission to create a memorial to Queen Alexandra, who had died in 1925. The King was glad to hear news of his old acquaintance and
Lady Helena Gleichen became Gilbert's promoter, offering that he could use her studio at
St James Palace if the funds could be raised to bring him from Italy.
Gilbert returned to England on 26 July 1926 and his mental state concerned Lady Gleichen, since she said he was "broken with nerves, and agitation".
Friends rallied around him and Gilbert settled down. The King provided a stipend and was permitted to use studios at
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...
and later
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...
. By March 1928, he had finally finished the five statues which completed the tomb of Prince Albert Victor (who had been George's older brother).
Already in late 1926, Gilbert had won the commission to make the
Queen Alexandra Memorial. This captured his imagination since he saw the major public artwork as his
swan song
The swan song ( grc, κύκνειον ᾆσμα; la, carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful so ...
. Furthermore, Alexandra had been a firm friend of his, supporting him financially even when he failed to complete the tomb for her eldest son. After he had fled England for the second time, she had commissioned a portrait from him in 1903 (it is unknown if it was made) and in 1904, she sent him .
The sculpted fountain of the memorial blended
art nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
styles, and was built into the wall of
Marlborough House. It was officially unveiled on 8 June 1932, which was announced as
Alexandra Rose Day
The Alexandra Rose Day is a charitable fund raising event held in June in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom since 1912 by Alexandra Rose Charities. It was first launched on the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Queen ...
. It depicts three figures representing Faith, Hope, and Charity who are helping a maiden move across the stream of life. Gilbert was knighted the day afterwards and was also readmitted into the Royal Academy. His return to favour was complete.
Personal life
![Alfred Gilbert in his studio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Alfred_Gilbert_in_his_studio.jpg)
On 3 January 1876, Gilbert eloped to Paris with his first cousin, Alice Jane Gilbert (1847–1916), and they were married the same day. They had five children, namely George (born 9 May 1876), Mary (born 1877), Francis (born 1879), Alfredo (born 1880) and Charlotte Emily (born 1881).
Charlotte was to become a notable
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
under the name
Caprina Fahey
Caprina Fahey (née Gilbert; 13 September 1883 – 26 October 1959) was a British suffragette who was given the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) Hunger Strike Medal "for Valour" in 1914. She was an active member of the WSPU and was impr ...
.
Gilbert's wife Alice had a breakdown soon after the official opening of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in 1893 and spent time in a
mental asylum. The family left England again in 1901 and settled in
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
. The marriage broke down in 1904 and Alice was hospitalised again. She died in 1916.
Gilbert remarried in 1918 with his housekeeper Stéphanie Quaghebeur, by which time he had already taken on responsibility for helping to raise her seven children from a previous marriage.
They had stopped living together by 1926, with Quaghebeur remaining in Belgium when Gilbert moved back to England again, although he sent her monthly cheques to support the family until his death.
At the end of his life, Gilbert was romantically linked with Georgina Becket Terrell.
Death and legacy
Gilbert died on 4 November 1934 at Cromwell Nursing Home in London. He had long been sick and refusing to eat.
He was then cremated. At the time of his death, Gilbert was one of the most well-known figures in English society and there were plans to make a film about him.
He was then disregarded for decades, until critic
Richard Dorment
Richard Dorment, (born 1946) is a British art historian and exhibition organiser. He worked as chief art critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' from 1986 until 2015.
Early life
Dorment was born in the United States in 1946. He graduated cum laude ...
published a biography of Gilbert in 1985, which was followed by a retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1986. Gilbert is now regarded as one of the foremost sculptors of the Victorian age.
In 2017, a bust of Queen Victoria by Gilbert worth £1.2 million was subject to an export ban, having been sold at
Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
to a museum based in New York. Eventually, the
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...
in Cambridge raised the funds to pay £1.01 million to keep the bust in the UK. The work of art was deemed to meet all three of the
Waverley Criteria The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) is a committee of the United Kingdom government, advising the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the export of cultural property. Some of it ...
, namely that it was of national artistic importance, it was of outstanding aesthetic value and it was vital for the study of sculpture. The sum was raised through donations and a £267,600 grant from the
National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF).
Gallery
References
Further reading
* Beattie, Susan. ''The New Sculpture.'' New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.
* Bury, Adrian. ''Shadow of Eros: A Biographical and Critical Study of the Life and Works of Sir Alfred Gilbert.'' Macdonald & Evans, 1954.
* Dorment, Richard, et al. ''Alfred Gilbert: Sculptor and Goldsmith.'' London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1986.
* Edwards, Jason. ''Alfred Gilbert's Aestheticism: Gilbert Amongst Whistler, Pater, Wilde, and Burne-Jones.'' Aldershot: Ashgate, 2006.
* Getsy, David. ''Body Doubles: Sculpture in Britain, 1877–1905.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2004.
* Read, Benedict. ''Victorian Sculpture.'' New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Alfred
1854 births
1934 deaths
English male sculptors
English goldsmiths
People educated at Mercers' School
People educated at Aldenham School
Royal Academicians
Academic art
British alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
Knights Bachelor
Members of the Royal Victorian Order
20th-century British sculptors
19th-century British sculptors
19th-century British male artists
Sculptors from London
British emigrants to Belgium