Thomas Denman (1787–1861) was a 19th century English sculptor.

Life

He was born in 1787 the son of William Denman and his wife Ann. They lived on Mansell Street in the

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

district of

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 ...

, close to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

.''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851''; by Rupert Gunnis; p. 127 He attended 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 1807 and won their Silver Medal for sculpture in 1813. He exhibited at the

Royal Academy 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 pur ...

from 1815 to 1836 and at the British Institution from 1818 to 1827. He was working in the studio of his brother-in-law

John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...

at the time of Flaxman's death in 1826, and was responsible for completing several of his unfinished projects. Although occasionally acknowledged as the true sculptor, Flaxman is regularly credited with works after his own death. The statue of Robert Burns was placed in the Burns Monument on

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the ci ...

in 1830, almost certainly created after Flaxman's death. However, most of Denman's commissions seem to have come via the Flaxman studio and work gradually dried up. He was declared bankrupt in 1847 and was living in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

in "reduced circumstances" in 1850. He died in 1861.

Family

His sister Nancy Denman married the eminent sculptor

. Flaxman took a shine to the younger daughter of the Denman family, Maria Denman, and left Maria a great deal in his will. Flaxman's portrait of Maria is held in the

Soane Museum Sir John Soane's Museum is a house museum, located next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, London, which was formerly the home of neo-classical architect, John Soane. It holds many drawings and architectural models of Soane's projects, and a ...

Known artworks

*Monument to Sir Joseph Mawbey at

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

(1817) *Monument to George Lloyd at

Snitterfield Snitterfield is a village and civil parish in the Stratford on Avon district of Warwickshire, England, less than to the north of the A46 road, from Stratford upon Avon, from Warwick and from Coventry. The population of the civil parish at th ...

(c. 1817) *Monument to William Dyke at

Figheldean Figheldean is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Avon (Hampshire), River Avon, north of Amesbury in Wiltshire, England. Figheldean parish extends east of the village towards Tidworth as far as Devil's Ditch an ...

(1818) *Monument to William Adams at

South Mimms South Mimms is a village and civil parish in the Hertsmere district of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It is a small settlement located near to the junction of the M25 motorway with the A1(M) motorway and is perhaps more widely known because ...

(1820) *Monument to John Trevenen at

Helston, Cornwall Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmout ...

(1825) *Statue of

Marquess of Hastings Marquess of Hastings was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 December 1816 for Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira. History The Rawdon family descended from Francis Rawdon (d. 1668), of Rawdon, Yorkshire. Hi ...

for

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

(1826/7 completing Flaxman's commission) *Monument to James Watson in Heston, Middlesex (1826/7 completing Flaxman's commission) *Monument to

John Philip Kemble John Philip Kemble (1 February 1757 – 26 February 1823) was a British actor. He was born into a theatrical family as the eldest son of Roger Kemble, actor-manager of a touring troupe. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him on t ...

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 ...

(1826/7 completing Flaxman's commission) *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 ...

designed for Burns Monument in Edinburgh but now in the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...

(1826/7 fulfilling commission for Flaxman - gallery wrongly attributes to Flaxman who wad dead) *Monument to General

William John Arabin General William John Arabin (1750–1827) was an 18th/19th century British Army commander of Irish/French descent who was a flamboyant figure during the Napoleonic Wars. In the terminology of the day, he was a "macaroni". Life He was born in D ...

West Drayton West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. The se ...

(1828) *Monument to

Paul Benfield Paul Benfield (1742–1810) was an English East India Company employee and trader, financier and politician. He is now known as a target for the rhetoric of Edmund Burke, and for his spectacular bankruptcy. Life Benfield went out to India as a ...

in St Mary's Church,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

(1828) *Internal decoration at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

(1829) (fulfilling a commission intended for Flaxman) *Monument to Francis Pym MP at

Sandy, Bedfordshire Sandy is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. It lies to the east of Bedford, to the south west of Cambridge and north of Central London. The town has a population of around 13,400 based on 2015 estimates. The ...

(1833) *Monument to Charles Philip Yorke in

Wimpole Wimpole is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, about southwest of Cambridge. Until 1999, the main settlement on the A603 was officially known and signed as ''New Wimpole and Orwell, Cambridge Road''. On 1 April 19 ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

(1834) *Statue of

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotla ...

(1836) location unknown *Monument to Read Admiral John Tower at

South Weald South Weald is a mainly farmland and park settlement in the Borough of Brentwood in Essex, England. The civil parish of South Weald was absorbed by Brentwood Urban District in 1934. In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 6370. South Weald con ...

(1837) *Monument to Charlotte daughter of

Herbert Barrett Curteis Herbert Barrett Curteis (19 June 179313 December 1847) was an English Whig politician. Life He was born on 19 June 1793 the eldest son of Edward Jeremiah Curteis (MP for Sussex in 1820) and his wife Mary Barrett, daughter of Rev Stephen Barrett ...

at Wartling (1838) *Monument to Sir

Philip Broke Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, 1st Baronet (; 9 September 1776 – 2 January 1841) was a distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy. During his lifetime, he was often referred to as "Broke of the ''Shannon''", a reference to his notable comm ...

Nacton Nacton is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. The parish is bounded by the neighbouring parishes of Levington to the east and Bucklesham in the north. It is located between the towns of Ipswich and Felixs ...

(1841) *Monument to Lady Heathcote at

Normanton, Rutland Normanton is a village and civil parish on the eastern shore of Rutland Water in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 census and was included in the civil parish of Edith Weston. ...

(1842) *Monument to Sir

John Lawford Sir John Lawford (c. 1756 – 22 December 1842) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He had a long and distinguished career, seeing action during ...

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

Chapel (1842) *War memorial to the officers and men of the 13th Light Infantry at

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...

(1843) *Monument to Mary Morphew at

Terrington St Clement Terrington St Clement is a village and civil parish in King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough and district in Norfolk, England. It is in the drained marshlands to the south of the Wash, west of King's Lynn, Norfolk, and east of Sutton Bridge, L ...

(1843) *Monument to Lt James Fuller at Holy Trinity Church in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

(1843) *Monument to Sir

Gore Ouseley Sir Gore Ouseley, 1st Baronet GCH, PC (24 June 1770 – 18 November 1844), was a British entrepreneur, linguist and diplomat. He was born in 1770 and died at Hall Barn Park, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in 1844. He negotiated an important t ...

Hertingfordbury Hertingfordbury is a small village in Hertfordshire, England, close to the county town of Hertford. It was mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''. Hertingfordbury is also the name of a neighbouring civil parish, which does not contain the village. ...

(1844) *Monument to

Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, 1st Baronet Sir John Eardley Eardley-Wilmot, 1st Baronet (21 February 1783 – 3 February 1847) was a politician in the United Kingdom who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Warwickshire and then as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land (lat ...

Berkswell Berkswell ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England. Historically in Warwickshire, Berkswell is situated in the rural east of the borough, approximately 2 miles (3.25 km) ...

(1847)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denman, Thomas 1787 births 1861 deaths Artists from London English sculptors