Alfred Adrian Jones (9 February 1845 – 24 January 1938) was an English sculptor and painter who specialized in depicting animals, particularly horses. Before becoming a full-time artist he was an army veterinary surgeon for twenty-three years. On retirement from the Army, Jones established himself as an artist with a studio in London. He became a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy and in commercial galleries from 1884 onwards. His training as a veterinary surgeon gave him a deep knowledge of equine anatomy which he used in his work to great effect. He created the sculpture ''Peace descending on the Quadriga of War'', on top of the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner in London. Following both the Boer War and World War I, Jones created a number of notable war memorials including the Royal Marines Memorial and the Cavalry of the Empire Memorial, both in central London. Alongside the public monuments he created, Jones made equestrian and equine statuettes and portrait busts. Whilst well known as a sculptor, Jones was also an accomplished painter.

Biography

Early life and military career

Jones was born in

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

, Shropshire, the fourth son of James Brookholding Jones and his wife Jane Marshall, and was educated at Ludlow Grammar School. Despite his wish for a career as an artist, Jones was persuaded by his father to train as a vet. He studied at the Royal Veterinary College, qualifying as a veterinary surgeon in 1866. He enrolled in the Army as a veterinary officer in the

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...

the following year and served from 1867 to 1890. During this time he saw service in the Abyssinian Expedition of 1868 before joining the 3rd Hussars in 1869. From 1871 to 1881 he served with the Queen's Bays in Ireland and was then attached to the 7th Queen's Own Hussars and fought with them in the First Anglo-Boer War in 1881. In South Africa he was attached to the

Inniskilling Dragoons The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became the ...

. In 1884 Jones served in Egypt where he selected camels for the Nile Expedition and finally joined the

2nd Life Guards The 2nd Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 2nd Troop of Horse Guards and 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

, retiring in 1890 with the rank of captain. He was awarded a medal for his service in Abyssinia and the Khedive's Star for his work on the Nile Expedition. Jones was made a member of the

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, or ...

in 1907.

Artistic career

Jones was already active as an artist by the time he retired from the Army, having painted and sketched throughout his military career. In 1892 he had received some teaching in sculpture techniques from

Charles Bell Birch Charles Bell Birch (28 September 1832 – 16 October 1893) was a British sculptor. Biography Birch was born at Brixton in south London, the son of the author and translator Jonathan Birch (1783–1847) and his wife Esther (née Brooke). As a ...

and had shown a plaster statuette, ''One of the Right Sort'', at the Royal Academy in 1884. In 1887 Jones' bronze ''Gone Away'' won first prize in the Goldsmith's Company's statuette contest. His terracotta ''Camel Corps Scout'' and ''The Last Arrow'' in bronze were both well received when exhibited in 1886 and 1888 respectively. Jones became a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy, at the

Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) is an independent organisation in Glasgow, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art and artists in Scotland. The institute organizes the largest and most prestigious annual art exhibitio ...

and in commercial galleries plus at the Paris Salon and the Royal Institute. London-Wellington-Arch-P1130943

In 1891 Jones exhibited a plaster work, ''Triumph'' featuring a

quadriga A () is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Empire until the Late Middle Ages. The word derives from the Latin contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. The four- ...

of four horses and a chariot. The model greatly impressed the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

who began campaigning for a monumental version to be created for the

Wellington Arch Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch or (originally) as the Green Park Arch, is a Grade I-listed triumphal arch by Decimus Burton that forms a centrepiece of Hyde Park Corner in central London, between corners of Hyde Park and ...

in central London. Opposition to this proposal was led by Sir

Frederick 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 ...

, the president of the Royal Academy, who considered the commission beyond the ability of a largely self-taught artist such as Jones. To demonstrate his skill with large scale works, Jones created ''Duncan's Horses'', a plaster equine group shown at the Royal Academy in 1892. Despite insinuations that ''Duncan's Horses'' was not by him, Jones won the Wellington Arch commission and worked on ''Peace descending on the Quadriga of War'' from 1907 until 1912. Until his death in 1910,

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 and ...

frequently visited Jones' studio to view progress on what became largest bronze sculpture in Britain. The casting was completed by November 1911 and the complex matter of hoisting the ''Quadriga'' into position took place in January 1912. In April 1912 King George and Queen Mary drove through the arch and were presented to Jones. The addition of a tablet noting that the ''Quadriga'' was a gift of Lord Michelham was affixed to the monument in 1916. The young boy in Jones' composition for the ''Quadriga'' was based on Lord Michelham's son. Jones was also an accomplished painter. His notable paintings included a portrait of Lord Kitchener and an equestrian portrait of Sir David Campbell on his

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...

winning horse.

Later life

Nominated by

Goscombe John Sir William Goscombe John (21 February 1860 – 15 December 1952) was a prolific Welsh sculptor known for his many public memorials. As a sculptor, John developed a distinctive style of his own while respecting classical traditions and forms of ...

, Jones became a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1912 and was elected a Fellow of the same society in 1923. Jones' autobiography, ''Memoirs of a Soldier Artist'' was published in 1933. In 1934 Jones became an Honorary Associate of the

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the ...

, and he was also an honorary member of the Incorporated Association of Architects and Surveyors. In 1935 he received the gold medal of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. Jones was married twice. In 1870 he married Emma Buckingham from

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye ( Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye ...

who died in 1887 and in 1891 he married Emma Wedlake and established a home and studio with her in Chelsea. That property was next door to the

Chelsea Arts Club The Chelsea Arts Club is a private members' club at 143 Old Church Street in Chelsea, London with a membership of over 3,800, including artists, sculptors, architects, writers, designers, actors, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers. The club ...

and Jones became an active member and sometimes office holder of the club. He died of influenza and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

at his home in 147 Church Street, Chelsea, in January 1938 aged 92 and was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

. A memorial plaque to Jones is to be found at St. Laurence's Church in Ludlow, where his ashes are buried, next to that of the poet A. E. Housman.

Selected public works

1895-1919

1920-1929

Other works

* ''For the Faith'', a 1903 equestrian statuette, current whereabouts unknown, shown at the Royal Academy in 1903. * A silver statuette of Colonel Asfur Dowla, the A.D.C. to the Nizam of Hyderabad, shown at the Royal Academy in 1903, but current whereabouts unknown.Colonel Asfur Dowla
Victorian Web. Retrieved 16 November 2012. * In 1985, Jones' 1892 plaster group ''Duncan's Horses'' was cast in bronze and erected in the grounds of the Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Campus in Hertfordshire.

Gallery of images

File:Boer War Memorial unveiling, Adelaide.jpg, The unveiling of the Boer War Memorial in Adelaide File:Cavalry Memorial 5.jpg, Relief on Cavalry Memorial File:Cavalry Memorial 1.jpg, Plaque on Cavalry Memorial File:Cavalry Memorial 2.jpg , Head of Horse-Cavalry Memorial File:Gloucester 22.jpg, Relief on Gloucester Memorial File:Royal Marines Memorial.jpg, Wounded Marine on Royal National Marine Memorial

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Adrian 1845 births 1938 deaths 19th-century English painters 19th-century English sculptors 19th-century English male artists 20th-century English painters 20th-century English sculptors 20th-century English male artists Artists from Shropshire British military personnel of the Abyssinian War English male painters English male sculptors People from Ludlow