Vincent Gahagan (1776–1831) was a 19th-century sculptor of Irish descent from a large family of sculptors.

Life

He was born in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

on 26 October 1776 the son of sculptor

Lawrence Gahagan Lawrence Gahagan or Geoghegan (1735–1820) was an 18th/19th century Irish-born sculptor. He specialised in small bronze portrait busts. Life Gahagan was born Lawrence Geoghegan in Dublin in 1735 probably into a family of stonemasons. He atte ...

and his wife Phoebe Hunter. He had at least seven siblings most of whom (both male and female) were sculptors, including a younger brother Sebastian Gahagan. 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 1804 to 1833. In later life he worked as assistant to

Richard Westmacott Sir Richard Westmacott (15 July 17751 September 1856) was a British sculptor. Life and career Westmacott studied with his father, also named Richard Westmacott (the elder), Richard Westmacott, at his studio in Mount Street, off Grosvenor ...

. He came to public (ar rather academic) recognition in 1811 when the Count of

Funchal Funchal () is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal. Because of ...

, Ambassador to Brazil, came to

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 ...

to ask the

to run a competition for an royal equestrian statue to stand in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. By 1813 this had come to a conclusion and Vincent Gahagan was placed joint first with

Charles Rossi John Charles Felix Rossi (8 March 1762 – 21 February 1839), often simply known as Charles Rossi, was an English sculptor. Life Early life and education Rossi was born on 8 March 1762 at Nottingham, where his father Ananso, an Italian from Si ...

. However, the ambassador refused to pay the agreed 800 guineas prize money, saying neither artist was suitable. A legal argument followed for two years.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.162 Very ironically he was killed on 28 December 1831 in his studio at

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

while working on a statue of

George Canning George Canning (11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as Foreign Secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the Unit ...

which fell and crushed him. He was buried in January 1832.

Works

*Equestrian statue of the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

*Statue of

Family

He had a troubled period in early life, losing two wives in quick succession: On 9 January 1803 he married Elizabeth Agnes Kay at St Pancras Church. On 28 September 1804 he married Mary Lewis at Marylebone Church. He lastly married Maria Dupuis (1784-1846) daughter of Louis Lewis Dupuis, on 9 July 1807 at St George's Church on Hanover Square, London. Maria died at

Regents Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwe ...

in 1846. By his various marriages he was father to at least seven children including Edwin Gahagan (d.1858) who was also a sculptor. Six children outlived Vincent.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gahagan, Vincent 1776 births 1831 deaths English sculptors Artists from Westminster Accidental deaths