Sir William Reid Dick

Thank you Michael Copeland for this photo above.

King Edward VIII

by

Sir William Reid Dick, RA 1878-1961

He also did a beautiful portrait of The Princess Elizabeth (Now Our Queen)

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/object.asp?maker=REIDDICKW&object=101408&row=0

He is one of Chris Miller’s yellow names on the 20th century figure sculpture website. He was a Scottish sculptor from Glasgow who produced some wonderful work. I have been searching the web and books for examples of his work and found very little, made more frustrating by the long lists of works it is known he has done.

Silence

Girl


The Man Child




The Catapult

(Each mounted differently)


















But finally I am going to break a golden rule. I am going to offer you this delightful one below knowing I may be wrongly attributing it to him.



I do so on the flimsiest of evidence; this following description of the work "Kelpie" dated 1920

...much praised has been his work “Kelpie” a girl sitting on a rock cross-legged, her left hand resting on the rock and supporting the body inclined backwards, the right arm bent, the elbow resting on the right thigh, the hand raised to the chin....



I know, it seems that the arms are reversed and the legs are only just crossed and she is hardly leaning back. I hope if wrong someone will let me know.

Ulf tells me I have got this wrong. It is titled 'Childhood of Cain' by Antonio Teixeira Lopez, 1890, and is indeed an excellent work. More detail on the comments by Ulf.

So can anyone help me on Kelpie?

Alfred Turner

A beautiful but very different relief

Brock and Gilbert's genius

Both of these works have been shown before here on English Sculpture. These are better pictures and from more than one angle.

“Eve” by Sir Thomas Brock, R.A.

“Mother And Child, Reading Lesson” by Sir Alfred Gilbert, R.A.

These are good examples of the genius of English sculptors that have been so overlooked by the world in recent years.

The presence they have is awe inspiring.

On a technical point -

Taking good pictures of sculpture is challenging. The back ground is eliminated by our brains but the camera will not do that. Lighting marble is no problem but again we have the problem of what the eye sees and what the camera sees. I have cut one out for you and given you two different lighting shots to illustrate this. Keeping the camera steady is also a problem, no flash no tripod. Flash would distort the lighting so carefully arranged by the staff of the V & A.

Alfred Turner (1874-1940)

As a first and introductory sample of what is to come here, I present from my visit to The Victoria and Albert Museum in London;

"Mother and Child" by Alfred Turner,

Two beautiful faces, the mother’s left hand, all four legs and feet, texture contrast, so simple.

The lack of shoulders so typical of a certain style pre 1950 adds to the relaxed aura, and slightly reminisent of a Gill which will come next.

The little boy’s demeanour is classically accurate and perfectly executed.

I love this work, it is just exquisite. Yes I could live with it in my home!

I must at this point pay tribute to the staff of the V&A for what is an excellent exhibition;

and a very grateful thanks to the Hintze family charitable foundation, The American Friends of the V&A and Mr and Mrs MD Moross who have funded it.

I highly recommend a visit.

Edwin Roscoe Mullins

Here as promised are a few pictures of Edwin Roscoe Mullins' work. I "discovered him" or at least his work in Dorchester, a fine Memorial portrait of William Barnes, poet above.

Alfred Bertram Pegram

A. Bertram Pegram was a friend of my Grandfather. They were at the Royal Academy Schools together

and were together at the unveiling of Pegram's Statue above to Sir Thomas Browne in Norwich in 1905 on the 300th anniversary of Browne's birth. (see my Dorset sculpture blog of a painting in St.Peter Mancroft by Harry R Mileham; "Wist ye not".)

Here is a good picture from the Peter Nahum at the Leicester Galleries. http://www.leicestergalleries.com/provenart/dealer_stock_details.cgi?d_id=253&a_id=13521

Here is The Welsh War Memorial in Cardiff by Mr. Alfred Bertram Pegram. Quite a substantial work!

One day Chris I will go there and take a better picture!

My brother has some small plaster copies of his work given to my Grandfather. Here is one of them. Rather a strange subject but probably very innocent. It rested on my Grandfather's desk and my Father's ever since I can remember.

More to follow do come back soon.

Sir George Frampton RA PRBS

Sir George Frampton
Frampton’s best known work is probably Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. It is hidden in a small dip at a junction of paths and can’t be seen from very far away. That is fine for intimate viewing but it is so easy to miss it altogether. In fact although there are a few sign posts, unless you were looking for it the chances are you would miss it which, believe me, would be a pity.

I have added a picture of the smaller version.

I like the monument to WS Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan) surrounded by adoring women

and the Monument to Quintin Hogg below.

see http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/conway/8f51560a.html

see also Amanda Sisk's American version in Camden NJ
http://maohao.com/amanda/blog/?p=36#comments