John Evan Thomas,FSA (15 January 1810 – 9 October 1873) was aWelsh sculptor, notable for many sculptures both in Wales and elsewhere in the UK, such as his portrait sculptures in London. He was especially notable for theDeath of Tewdrig which was exhibited at theGreat Exhibition of 1851, and for his two bronze statues ofHenry de Loundres andWilliam, Earl of Pembroke in the chamber of theHouse of Lords .
Thomas was born inBrecon, Wales the son of John Thomas of Castle Street in that town, and his wife Jane Evans ofAberedw inRadnor, in 1810.[1]
In 1857 he left his London practice and bought the small mansion, Penisha'r-Pentre, atLlanspyddid. He retained a studio inPimlico in London. He was appointedHigh Sheriff of Brecknockshire in 1868.[2] As a loyal Welshman, and with the support ofBenjamin Hall, he was a prominent figure in the movement to stop misuse of endowments which had been given toChrist College, Brecon. He died on 9 October 1873 in London.[3] He is buried on the eastern section ofBrompton Cemetery, south of the main east-west path. Although the area has become very overgrown, the monument is distinctive.
Thomas studied in London underFrancis Leggatt Chantrey and then in Europe. He produced church monuments in Wales from 1831, and portraits in London from 1834 onwards, becoming a frequent exhibitor of his portrait busts at theRoyal Academy between 1835 and 1862. At his London studio at 7 Lower Belgrave Place he retained the patronage of Welsh landed gentry, producing bust portraits for them.[4] Many of his public works are still visible in Wales: for example hisDuke of Wellington in the centre of Brecon, and his statuary inBrecon Cathedral. He also produced a lot of work outside Wales.[3] Over the years his name has suffered confusion with that ofJohn Thomas (1813–1862) to the extent that the English sculptor's 1855Boadicea was transported as one of John Evan Thomas' works from Birmingham toBrecknock Museum in 1981, and suffered damage en route and after arrival, before it was realised that the sculptor was the other John Thomas.[5][6] Works at the Guildhall and Lloyds Bank atBristol are probably those ofJohn Thomas but are attributed to John Evan Thomas.[7][8]
Two of his principal works are considered to be theSecond Marquess of Londonderry atWestminster Abbey and theSecond Marquess of Bute inCardiff city centre. The latter was shown at theGreat Exhibition of 1851 (originally in marble) and cast in bronze in 1853. Four more principal works are:Sir Charles Morgan atNewport, theDuke of Wellington atBrecon, theJohn Henry Vivian atSwansea and the 1865Prince Consort on Castle Heights,Tenby.[4]
InY Gaer, a metalelectrotype of his 1848 plaster sculpture,Death of Tewdrig, depicts the dying fifth-century kingTewdrig and saint of Glamorgan. It was designed by Thomas and modelled by his brother W. Meredyth Thomas in response to a patriotic competition at the 1848AbergavennyEisteddfod.[9][10] This was shown again at theRoyal Academy in 1849, and again as an electrotype at theGreat Exhibition of 1851.[4] This sculpture is associated with theWelsh national revival of the 1830s and 1840s.[4]
In 1844 Thomas exhibited a model of Lord Londonderry in Westminster Hall. In 1850 this was carved in marble and placed on permanent display inWestminster Abbey.[1]Thomas produced two of the life-sizedbronze statues, depicting the fifteen barons and two bishops who signedMagna Carta, which line the walls of the Lords' Chamber at theHouse of Lords and were cast in 1847–1851. The original maquettes for these have languished for a hundred years, hidden in the bottom of the north tower of themedievalWestgate, Canterbury.[11][12] The statues which make up Thomas' contribution to this set areHenry de Loundres,Archbishop of Dublin, andWilliam, Earl of Pembroke.[4]
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