Alfred Gilbert | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait byFrederick Hollyer (1887) | |
| Born | (1854-08-12)12 August 1854 London, England |
| Died | 4 November 1934(1934-11-04) (aged 80) London, England |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Sculptor |
| Years active | 1878–1932 |
| Era | Victorian |
| Notable work | Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, Tomb ofPrince Albert Victor,Queen Alexandra Memorial |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 5, includingCaprina Fahey |
Sir Alfred GilbertRA (12 August 1854 – 4 November 1934) was an Englishsculptor. He was born in London and studied sculpture underJoseph Boehm,Matthew Noble,Édouard Lantéri andPierre-Jules Cavelier. His first work of importance wasThe Kiss of Victory, followed by the trilogy ofPerseus Arming,Icarus andComedy and Tragedy. His most creative years were from the late 1880s to the mid-1890s, when he produced several celebrated works such as a memorial for theGolden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and theShaftesbury Memorial Fountain Eros[1] onPiccadilly Circus.
As well as sculpture, Gilbert explored other techniques such asgoldsmithing anddamascening. He painted watercolours and drew book illustrations. He was made a member of theRoyal Academy of Arts in 1892, yet his personal life was beginning to unravel as he took on too many commissions and entered into debt, whilst at the same time his wife's mental health deteriorated. Gilbert received a royal commission for the tomb ofPrince Albert Victor in 1892, but was unable to finish it and the number of complaints from other dissatisfied clients grew. By the mid-1900s, Gilbert had been forced to declare himself bankrupt and to resign from the Royal Academy. He moved to Bruges in disgrace and separated from his wife. He later remarried, entering a period when he created few artworks.
In the 1920s, his career was rehabilitated with the help of journalist Isabel McAllister. He returned to England and finally completed the tomb of Prince Albert Victor, as well as taking on new commissions such as theQueen Alexandra Memorial. In 1932, Gilbert was reinstated as a member of the Royal Academy and was also knighted. He died in 1934, at the age of 80. Gilbert was a central inspiration for theNew Sculpture movement and in the 21st-century is regarded as one of the foremost sculptors of theVictorian age.
Alfred Gilbert was born 12 August 1854 at 13Berners Street, nearOxford Street in central London. He was the eldest child of Charlotte Cole and Alfred Gilbert, who were both musicians.[2] Berners Street was at that time an area popular with artists and musicians: there were shops selling stained glass, carvings, printings andbronze artworks;Ford Madox Brown andEdward Hodges Baily had studios; Leigh's Academy (run byJames Mathews Leigh) was nearby, later becoming theThomas J. Heatherley School of Art.[3]: 6 Gilbert first attended William Kemshead's Academy for a few months in 1863, which was a naval school nearPortsmouth.[3]: 8 He then went to theMercers' School in theCity of London, afterwards switching toAldenham School inHertfordshire, where his father taught music.[4][2] Gilbert later commented that "I always hated school".[3]: 10 He enjoyed more spending time with his paternal grandfather, who taught him how towoodwork.[3]: 3 At Aldenham, Gilbert began to make portraits of his schoolfellows with clay he took from ditches and the headmaster Alfred Leeman was encouraging, to the extent that Gilbert made a full-length seated portrait of him in 1872.[3]: 12
Gilbert's father pushed him to become a surgeon, so he applied to theRoyal College of Surgeons and was accepted in 1872.[5] He then went for a scholarship atMiddlesex Hospital to work as a surgeon and was rejected, allowing him to pursue his true interest ofsculpture. Studying first at the Thomas J. Heatherley School from 1872 until 1873, afterwards he went to theRoyal Academy Schools from 1873 until 1875.[2] His fellow students includedFrank Dicksee,Johnston Forbes-Robertson,John Macallan Swan,Hamo Thornycroft andJ. W. Waterhouse.[3]: 15 Eager to learn, he also worked in the studios of SirJoseph Boehm,Matthew Noble, and William Gibbs Rogers.[5] Gilbert later credited Boehm and his assistantÉdouard Lantéri as his true teachers.[2]
Gilbert travelled to Paris to study at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts underPierre-Jules Cavelier. He had fallen in love with his first cousin, Alice Jane Gilbert, and they were forced toelope.[2] In Paris they lived first at the Hôtel l'Artesian at Place de la Madeleine and then at 17 rue Humboldt.[3]: 22 Gilbert returned to England in April 1878 to be at the deathbed of his younger brother Gordon, who succumbed totuberculosis at the age of 20.[3]: 29 Later that year, Gilbert moved to Rome with his wife and two young children.[3]: 33 They lived at 63 Vicolo de'Miracoli, experiencing money problems as Gilbert waited to be paid for commissions whilst also having to pay rent.[3]: 34 By 1881, Gilbert was splitting his time between a new studio space at 18 Via San Basilio in Rome andCapri.[3]: 37 He returned to England in 1884.[6]
Gilbert's first work of importance wasThe Kiss of Victory (1878–1881), which depicted a Roman soldier dying in the arms of Victory. He moved with his family to Rome in order to create the sculpture in marble, attracted by famed sculptors of theRenaissance such asCellini,Donatello,Giambologna andVerrocchio.[2] It was exhibited at theRoyal Academy of Arts in 1882.[2]
Perseus Arming (1882) was inspired by a visit to Florence and influenced by Donatello'sDavid and Cellini'sPerseus with the Head of Medusa. It was Gilbert's first statue made in bronze.[2] The work was acclaimed and ledFrederic Leighton to commissionIcarus (1884), which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1884, along withStudy of a Head (1882–83). Gilbert also createdThe Enchanted Chair (c. 1885), only to destroy it again.[5] He was commissioned by the Baroness von Fahnenberg to design a mausoleum inSpa, Belgium, Belgium but she died without having signed a final agreement, leading him to sue for compensation.[3]: 51
Gilbert later stated toJoseph Hatton that the bronze statuesPerseus Arming,Icarus andComedy and Tragedy (1891–92) formed a trilogy which referenced his own life.Perseus Arming had a huge impact on a new generation of artists, becoming a particular inspiration for theNew Sculpture movement, since the method ofcasting (lost wax) was new to the English milieu and its height of 29 inches was innovative.[2] It was larger than a bibelot, which might decorate a drawing room, yet smaller than a typical sculpture.[3]: 40
Having returned to England, Gilbert took a studio in a complex offFulham Road, where he built afoundry withThomas Stirling Lee andEdward Onslow Ford.[3]: 58 His next major work was again an innovation in terms of size; the Fawcett memorial (1885–87) featured a bronze bust of politicianHenry Fawcett above seven small detailed figures of around fifteen inches, which individually represented Fawcett's virtues.[2][7] The memorial received praise from critics when it was unveiled atWestminster Abbey on 29 January 1887.[3]: 67 By then Gilbert had been commissioned to produce another memorial, this time forGolden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, which was placed in the Great Hall atWinchester Castle. From the late 1880s to the mid-1890s he was in his most creative period. He diversified intogoldsmithing anddamascening, making anepergne (1887–1890) given toQueen Victoria by officers of theBritish Army and a chain for the mayor ofPreston (1888–1892).[2] Gilbert produced medals, such as the cast bronze portrait ofMatthew Ridley Corbet (1881) and the struck bronze medal marking 50 years of theArt Union of London (1887).[8] He also created spoons, cups, dishes and jewellery; many of his designs can be seen in the collection of Stichting van Caloen on display atLoppem Castle in Belgium.[9][8]Marion Spielmann, a contemporary art critic, wrote in 1901 "his taste is so pure, his genius so exquisitely right, that he may give full rein to his fancy without danger where another man would run riot and come to grief".[10]
Gilbert's next work of note was theShaftesbury Memorial Fountain (1886–1893).[2] The philanthropistAnthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, had died in late 1885 and it was swiftly decided to commemorate his life with two monuments, one at Westminster Abbey and another atCambridge Circus, at the beginning ofShaftesbury Avenue (which was concurrently named after him).[11] The memorial was commissioned in 1886 and officially opened atPiccadilly Circus in London in 1893. Gilbert had accepted the commission with assurances that he would be given usedgunmetal to melt down and reuse, however the government did not supply him with it. He had already produced the casts, so he was forced to buycopper to use instead, which meant that he took a substantial financial hit; the fountain should have cost£3,000 (equivalent to about £412,787 in 2023) and in the end the figure was£7,000 (equivalent to about £963,169 in 2023), with Gilbert being forced to make up the difference.[2][12] It was only because he had been experimenting with different techniques that he was able to castaluminium, a then new material which he used to create the statue which topped the sculpture.[2] It is commonly believed that the statue depictsEros, but it is actually his brotherAnteros, the avenger of unrequited love.[13] The fountain is now well-regarded and seen as a national treasure, but at the time it was controversial, with opinions on its value mixed. The mainstream media criticised the design of the fountain which led to passing flower girls being drenched in water and hooliganism meant it needed to be guarded for a year. Eight drinking cups on chains had been provided for pedestrians to quench their thirst and Gilbert stated that just one day after the opening, only two cups remained. He referred to the "painful experience of witnessing the utter failure of my intention and design".[11]
In this period, Gilbert made statues ofDonald Mackay, 11th Lord Reay, and prison reformerJohn Howard. He produced memorials of the Duke of Clarence and ofLord Arthur Russell, and a memorial font for the son of the4th Marquess of Bath.[5] He produced busts ofCyril Flower, John R. Clayton (later broken up by the artist),George Frederic Watts,Henry Tate,George Birdwood,Richard Owen andGeorge Grove. He also designed the statue ofDavid Davies of Llandinam which stands in front of theBarry Docks offices.[5]
Gilbert was made a member of theRoyal Academy of Arts in 1892.[14] He received many other honours, such asRoyal Victorian Order of the fourth class (1897).[2] He became a member of theInternational Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers and in 1889 he won the Grand Prix at theExposition Universelle in Paris.[15][5] By the time of Boehm's death in 1890, Gilbert had become England's best known living sculptor. He was a member of theAthenaeum andGarrick clubs in London and was a well-known figure with his cape, sombrero and walking-stick.[2] His friends included the artists Watts,Edward Burne-Jones,Frederic Leighton andJames Abbott McNeill Whistler.[16][2] BefriendingPrincess Louise had brought him intohigh society and he built a large house for his family with an attached studio in 16 Maida Vale, in north London. Gilbert's generous and extravagant lifestyle was leading him into debt and as his fame grew, his private life began to fall apart. His wife Alice was not at ease in London society and preferred to stay in a rented house inGomshall, Surrey; soon after the unveiling of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, she had a breakdown and was committed to an asylum.[2] Without Boehm to advise him, Gilbert found it difficult to track his commissions. He almost never drew up contracts with clients and it was easy for disagreements to arise.[3]: 103
In 1892, Gilbert was asked by the Prince (laterEdward VII) and Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark) to build the tomb for their recently deceased eldest sonPrince Albert Victor inSt George's Chapel, Windsor.[2] Prince Albert Victor had been heir to the throne and died of pneumonia resulting from contracting influenza during the1889–1890 flu pandemic.[17] The tomb has been described by a critic as "the finest single example of late 19th-century sculpture in the British Isles".[18] A recumbent effigy of the prince wearing a Hussar uniform lies above the tomb. Kneeling over him is an angel, holding a heavenly crown. The tomb is surrounded by an elaborate railing, with figures of saints.[19] The perfectionist Gilbert spent too much time and money on the commission.[2] Five of the saint figures were only completed with "a greater roughness and pittedness of texture" after his return to Britain in the 1920s.[18]
Another 1892 commission which Gilbert struggled with was theMemorial Tablet to Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, First Earl of Lytton (1892–1902). Lady Lytton wished to remember her husband the politicianEdward Bulwer-Lytton with a plaque in the crypt ofSt Paul's Cathedral. Having taken on the work, Gilbert never supplied the plaque, despite her frequent visits to his studio. Instead, she was forced to buy the bronze cast at a bankruptcy sale and to askEdwin Lutyens (her son-in-law) to make a surrounding mould before it was eventually installed at St Paul's in 1903.[3]: 176
By 1898, Gilbert was in debt and the number of complaints from clients asking for completed works was increasing. Instead of finishing the tomb for Prince Albert Victor, which only had seven of the twelve saints around it, Gilbert took another royal commission, namely building the mortuary chapel forPrince Henry of Battenberg. Ultimately, Gilbert was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1901. He sent his family before him toBruges in Belgium and stayed behind to pack up his studio, destroying many casts in the process.[2]
Edward VII offered Gilbert a studio at Windsor Castle where he could complete the tomb project but Gilbert only compounded his problems by asking the royal family for permission to publish photographs of the work in progress inThe Art Journal and then proceeding to do so even though he was explicitly asked not to.[8] To make matters worse, the photographs depicted the ivory and bronze statues which had been originally attached to the tomb and subsequently sold off by Gilbert in 1899. They had been replaced by the bronze casts which still sit on the tomb, but the king had paid for the originals and was angered, breaking off all communication with Gilbert.[2]
By the mid-1900s, Gilbert was in serious problems. In 1904, he had separated from his wife. Dissatisfied clients had spoken to a gossip magazine calledTruth, which released two well-circulated critical articles in 1906. TheDuke of Rutland was driven to complain to the president of the Royal Academy (Edward Poynter) about an uncompleted order in 1908 and Gilbert was given the choice either to resign or to be expelled from the Academy.[2] Poynter commented "We have all come to the regretful conclusion that he is hopelessly incorrigible".[20] Gilbert decided to quit, resigning his professorship and also his Royal Victorian Order. Things deteriorated further when he had an affair with a client, Eliza Macloghlin, and she demanded to have thefuneral urn she had commissioned,Mr and Mrs Percy Plantagenet Macloghlin (1905–1909), also known asMors Janua Vitae.[2][8] Upon not receiving it, she threw stones at the windows of his studio in Bruges and wrote a demented letter to King Edward VII. Her handwriting was similar to Gilbert's and it was believed he had written the screed, making his situation even more dire. When his son Francis went to see Gilbert in 1908, he found him hungry and lacking adequate clothes. In this period, Gilbert completed few works.[2] He was able to finishA Dream of Joy during a Sleep of Sorrow (1908–1913), a bronze chimney piece commissioned by the Wilson family for their home in Leeds, yet instead of supplying an inset portrait of Mrs Wilson as requested, he included a watercolour painting of his second wife, Stéphanie Quaghebeur.[8]
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DuringWorld War I, Gilbert remained in Bruges.[2] The three illustrations forArthur Conan Doyle's short story "His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Holmes" published inThe Strand Magazine in 1917 and in 1921 three more for "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone".[21][22] were not, as has been previously believed, by Alfred Gilbert. They were the work of his contemporary, the oil painter, Albert Thomas Gilbert. Alfred married his housekeeper Stéphanie Quaghebeur on 1 March 1918 and they moved to Rome together in 1924.[2] In the early 1920s, Gilbert had been largely forgotten in England and was assumed to have died, since he had fled to Europe decades before. However, he was still receiving acivil list pension and when the journalist Isabel McAllister took an interest in him, she was able to easily find him.[23]
McAllister was a fan, commenting in 1932 "One must be entirely loyal to him, and never admit faults to those who ... are always ready to look out for them".[3]: 1 She decided to write his biography and campaigned for his re-acceptance in English high society. Writing toKing George V and various dignitaries, she promoted Gilbert's talents, arguing it was time for him to finish the tomb of Prince Albert Victor and also that he was the perfect person to take the commission to create a memorial to Queen Alexandra, who had died in 1925. The King was glad to hear news of his old acquaintance andLady Helena Gleichen became Gilbert's promoter, offering use of her studio atSt James Palace if the funds could be raised to bring him from Italy.[23]
Gilbert returned to England on 26 July 1926 and his mental state concerned Helena Gleichen; she said he was "broken with nerves, and agitation".[23] Friends rallied around him and Gilbert settled down. The King provided a stipend and Gilbert was permitted to use studios atSt James's Palace and laterKensington Palace. By March 1928 he had finally finished the five statues which completed the tomb of Prince Albert Victor (George's older brother).[23][2] In late 1926 Gilbert had won the commission to make theQueen Alexandra Memorial. This captured his imagination since he saw the major public artwork as hisswan song. Furthermore, Alexandra had been a firm friend of his, supporting him financially even when he failed to complete the tomb of her eldest son. After he had fled England for the second time, she commissioned a portrait from him in 1903 (it is unknown if it was ever completed). In 1904 she sent him£100 (equivalent to about £13,609 in 2023).[23]
The sculpted fountain of the memorial blendedart nouveau andgothic styles, and was built into the wall ofMarlborough House. It was officially unveiled on 8 June 1932, which was announced asAlexandra Rose Day. It depicts three figures representing Faith, Hope, and Charity who are helping a maiden move across the stream of life. Gilbert was knighted the day afterwards and was also readmitted into the Royal Academy. His return to favour was complete.[2]
On 3 January 1876, Gilbert eloped to Paris with his first cousin, Alice Jane Gilbert (1847–1916), and they were married the same day. They had five children: George (born 9 May 1876), Mary (born 1877), Francis (born 1879), Alfredo (born 1880) and Charlotte Emily (born 1881).[2] Charlotte was to become a notablesuffragette under the nameCaprina Fahey.[24]
Gilbert's wife Alice had a breakdown soon after the official opening of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in 1893 and spent time in amental asylum. The family left England again in 1901 and settled inBruges. The marriage broke down in 1904 and Alice was hospitalised again. She died in 1916.[25] Gilbert remarried in 1918 with his housekeeper Stéphanie Quaghebeur, by which time he had already taken on responsibility for helping to raise her seven children from a previous marriage.[2][3]: 286 They had stopped living together by 1926, with Quaghebeur remaining in Belgium when Gilbert moved back to England again, although he sent her monthly cheques to support the family until his death.[3]: 306–307, 328 At the end of his life, Gilbert was romantically linked with Georgina Becket Terrell.[3]: 326
Gilbert died on 4 November 1934 at Cromwell Nursing Home in London. He had long been sick and refusing to eat.[3]: 331 He was then cremated. At the time of his death, Gilbert was one of the most well-known figures in English society and there were plans to make a film about him.[2] He was then disregarded for decades, until criticRichard Dorment published a biography of Gilbert in 1985, which was followed by a retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1986. Gilbert is now regarded as one of the foremost sculptors of theVictorian age.[2]
In 2017, a bust of Queen Victoria by Gilbert worth £1.2 million was subject to an export ban, having been sold atSotheby's to a museum based in New York. Eventually, theFitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge raised the funds to pay £1.01 million to keep the bust in the UK. The work of art was deemed to meet all three of theWaverley Criteria, namely that it was of national artistic importance, it was of outstanding aesthetic value and it was vital for the study of sculpture. The sum was raised through donations and a £267,600 grant from theNational Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF).[26][27]
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gilbert, Alfred".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 7.
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