- Richard Westmacott
Sir Richard Westmacott, Jr., RA (1775–1856) was a British sculptor. He studied under his father, Richard Westmacott the Elder, before going to
Rome in 1793 to study underAntonio Canova . Upon returning to England in 1797, he set up a prodigious studio (John Edward Carew andMusgrave Watson gained experience here) and began exhibiting at theRoyal Academy , where his diploma work, "Jupiter and Ganymede", can still be seen. He was made a Royal Academician in 1811 and was professor of sculpture at the RA from 1827. He received his knighthood on19 July 1837 .Citation|title=The Queen was this day pleased to confer the honour of Knighthood upon Richard Westmacott, Esq. Royal Academician...|date=25 July 1837|page=1910|issue=19525|newspaper=London Gazette |url=http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=19525&geotype=London&gpn=1910|accessdate=2007-11-08 ]Among his works are the reliefs for the north side of
Marble Arch , the sculptures of figures representing 'The Rise of Civilisation' on the pediment of theBritish Museum , and theWaterloo Vase now inBuckingham Palace Gardens. The enormous urn was sculpted from chunks ofmarble earmarked byNapoleon for a trophy commemorating his imagined victory in theNapoleonic Wars and then given to George IV as a gift from theGrand Duke of Tuscany . Westmacott also sculpted memorials to Pitt the Younger andCharles James Fox inWestminster Abbey ; and to Nelson atBull Ring, Birmingham ,Liverpool (Nelson Monument, Liverpool ) andBarbados . Thestatue of Horatio Nelson, Birmingham was the first statue of Nelson in Britain. The Duke of Bedfordshire, a statue inRussell Square of the agriculturalist and developerFrancis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford is by Richard Westmacott.Westmacott lived and died at 14 South Audley Street,
Mayfair , London (commemorated by ablue plaque )cite web
title=English Heritage website
url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
accessdate=2007-03-12] . His son,Richard Westmacott (the younger) , followed closely in his footsteps becoming a notable sculptor, Academician and RA professor of sculpture.References
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