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William Grant Stevenson, (7 March 1849 – 6 May 1919) was a Scottish sculptor and portrait painter.
Stevenson was born in 
In his later life Stevenson's studio was at 4 Belford Road near
Life and work
Stevenson was born in Ratho
Ratho ( gd, Ràthach) is a village in the Rural West Edinburgh area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Its population at the 2011 census was 1,634 based on the 2010 definition of the locality. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Ratho Stati ...
in Midlothian
Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...
on 7 March 1849. His elder brother, David Watson Stevenson
David Watson Stephenson (25 March 1842 – 18 March 1904) was a Scottish sculptor, executing portraits and monuments in marble and bronze.
Biography
Stevenson was born in Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland, on 25 March 1842, the son of William Ste ...
(1842–1904), was also a sculptor and an elected member of the Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...
.
Stevenson is most famous for his colossal bronze figure of Sir William Wallace
Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.
Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...
, which stands on a high plinth of roughly hewn pink granite overlooking Union Terrace Gardens
Union Terrace Gardens is a public park and gardens situated on Union Terrace in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The gardens
The sunken gardens opened to the public in 1879, and cover approximately two and a half acres . The space is bounded to the nort ...
in Aberdeen. His bronze ''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 ...
'' is the centrepiece of the Burns Monument, Kilmarnock, and copies are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
(N. Prospect Ave.) and Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
(City Park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
).
Stevenson had his studio at 13 Dalry Road and lived nearby at 63 Haymarket Terrace.
His most public work is his contribution of three figures to the Scott Monument
The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the second largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, opp ...
on Princes Street
Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
: Caleb Balderstone, Peter Peebles, and The Abbess. The three are somewhat lost within the huge complexity of the building, and its total of 68 figurative statues.
Stevenson also immortalized great figures of his time. One of his subjects was James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk
James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk, KT, DL (16 November 1827 – 21 February 1905) was a Scottish nobleman, explorer and poet.
Early life
Born in Edinburgh, on 16 November 1827, Southesk was the son of Sir James Carnegie, 5th Baronet and Cha ...
(1827–1905). In the portrayal the Earl is wearing his collar as a Knight of the Order of the Thistle, the highest honour which the monarch can bestow in Scotland. The image is an uncompromising image of a man who was considered a powerful and romantic figure who had travelled the wilds of 19th century Canada.
In his later life Stevenson's studio was at 4 Belford Road near Dean Bridge
The Dean Bridge spans the Water of Leith in the city of Edinburgh on the A90 road to Queensferry on the Firth of Forth. It carries the roadway, long and broad, on four arches rising above the river.H Coghill, ''Discovering The Water of L ...
. He lived at 8 Osborne Terrace.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911–12
He published the book ''Wee Johnnie Paterson'' in 1915.
Stevenson died on 6 May 1919, aged 70. He is buried with his brother, who preceded him in death by fifteen years, in Grange Cemetery
The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...
in Edinburgh. The stone lies in the south-west section of the original cemetery and carries a bronze portrait of William by Henry Snell Gamley
Henry Snell Gamley (commonly called Harry Gamley) (1865–1928) was a Scottish sculptor specialising in war memorials and sculpture on tombs. He was however also responsible for other figurative sculpture on prominent Edinburgh buildings ...
. His wife Jane Dickson (1855–1927) is also buried with him.
A painting of William Grant Stevenson by Charles Martin Hardie
Charles Martin Hardie (16 March 1858 – 3 September 1916) was a Scottish artist and portrait painter.
Born in East Linton in East Lothian in Scotland, the son of Mary ''née'' Martin (1817–1901) and John Hardie (1820–1870), a Master Car ...
is held in the National Gallery of Scotland
The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...
.
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, William Grant 1849 births 1919 deaths 20th-century British sculptors 19th-century British sculptors Scottish sculptors Scottish male sculptors Sibling artists People from Midlothian Burials at the Grange Cemetery