John Edward Carew
Encyclopedia
John Edward Carew was a notable Irish
sculptor during the 19th century. His most prominent work is the Death of Nelson - one of the four bronze
panels on the pedestal of Nelson's Column
in Trafalgar Square
.
to work for Sir Richard Westmacott
. For part of the time he worked with Westmacott he also had his own studio in the Edgware Road.
In 1831 he moved to a studio in Brighton, to be nearer Petworth House
, home of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
who was his main patron from the mid-1820s until the earl's death in 1837. Carew later moved to Grove House near Petworth.
When Egremont died leaving no provision for him in his will, the sculptor sued the earl's executors for £30,000. Ten thousand pounds of this was for "loss of time in the attendance on the late Lord Egremont". Carew claimed that he had not been properly paid for the sculptures made for Petworth, and that he had sacrificed commercial success by moving to Sussex to be near the earl. The defence produced evidence that Carew had been generously paid, and that Egremont had done all he could to promote his reputation. Carew's counsel withdrew the case. Carew was declared bankrupt in 1842.
Petworth still has a superb collection of Carew's work in marble, including the neo-classical mythological subjects Arethusa (1823), Adonis and the Bear (1826), The Falconer (1831) and Prometheus and Pandora (1838), and a series of busts, among them a portrait of Egremont (1831). He also produced a monument to the Earl's Percy ancestors in the baptistry of St Mary's, Petworth.
In the years following the court case, Carew received several prominent public commissions, including the Royal Arms and the statue of Richard Whittington
for the façade of the Royal Exchange
(1844), and a statue of Henry Grattan
for St Stephen's Hall in the Palace of Westminster
(1857). He was selected to make the bronze relief of the death of Nelson
, for the pedestal of Nelson's Column
; it was installed in December 1849. For the Catholic cathedral at St John’s, Newfoundland, Carew executed a several statues and an elaborate altarpiece.
Carew exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1812 until 1848 when his eyesight began to fail. He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery
.
Church work includes:
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
sculptor during the 19th century. His most prominent work is the Death of Nelson - one of the four bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
panels on the pedestal of Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000. It is a column of the Corinthian...
in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
.
Life
Thought to be the son of a local stonecutter, Carew was born in Tramore, and studied art in Dublin. Around 1809, he came to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to work for Sir Richard Westmacott
Richard Westmacott
Sir Richard Westmacott, Jr., RA was a British sculptor.-Life and career:He studied under his father, Richard Westmacott the Elder, before going to Rome in 1793 to study under Antonio Canova...
. For part of the time he worked with Westmacott he also had his own studio in the Edgware Road.
In 1831 he moved to a studio in Brighton, to be nearer Petworth House
Petworth House
Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century mansion, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s by Anthony Salvin...
, home of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont was a British peer. A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, he succeeded to his father's titles in 1763 at the age of 12, inheriting estates at Petworth, Egremont, Leconfield and land in Wiltshire and Somerset. He later inherited the lands of the Earl...
who was his main patron from the mid-1820s until the earl's death in 1837. Carew later moved to Grove House near Petworth.
When Egremont died leaving no provision for him in his will, the sculptor sued the earl's executors for £30,000. Ten thousand pounds of this was for "loss of time in the attendance on the late Lord Egremont". Carew claimed that he had not been properly paid for the sculptures made for Petworth, and that he had sacrificed commercial success by moving to Sussex to be near the earl. The defence produced evidence that Carew had been generously paid, and that Egremont had done all he could to promote his reputation. Carew's counsel withdrew the case. Carew was declared bankrupt in 1842.
Petworth still has a superb collection of Carew's work in marble, including the neo-classical mythological subjects Arethusa (1823), Adonis and the Bear (1826), The Falconer (1831) and Prometheus and Pandora (1838), and a series of busts, among them a portrait of Egremont (1831). He also produced a monument to the Earl's Percy ancestors in the baptistry of St Mary's, Petworth.
In the years following the court case, Carew received several prominent public commissions, including the Royal Arms and the statue of Richard Whittington
Richard Whittington
Sir Richard Whittington was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London, a Member of Parliament and a sheriff of London...
for the façade of the Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange may refer to:*Royal Exchange, Belfast a major mixed-use regeneration scheme in the North East Quarter of Belfast City Centre*Royal Exchange, Manchester, a 19th century classical building, home of the Royal Exchange Theatre...
(1844), and a statue of Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan
Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
for St Stephen's Hall in the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
(1857). He was selected to make the bronze relief of the death of Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
, for the pedestal of Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000. It is a column of the Corinthian...
; it was installed in December 1849. For the Catholic cathedral at St John’s, Newfoundland, Carew executed a several statues and an elaborate altarpiece.
Carew exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1812 until 1848 when his eyesight began to fail. He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
.
Works
Other statues by Carew include:- William HuskissonWilliam HuskissonWilliam Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool...
in ChichesterChichesterChichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings... - Henry GrattanHenry GrattanHenry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
in St Stephen’s Hall, Houses of Parliament - Edmund KeanEdmund KeanEdmund Kean was an English actor, regarded in his time as the greatest ever.-Early life:Kean was born in London. His father was probably Edmund Kean, an architect’s clerk, and his mother was an actress, Anne Carey, daughter of the 18th century composer and playwright Henry Carey...
for the Drury LaneDrury LaneDrury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
Theatre. - Sir Richard Whittington for the Royal Exchange, London, 1844.
Church work includes:
- memorial to Edward Woods, Chichester CathedralChichester CathedralThe Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
- memorial to Michael Nugent in Kensal Green CemeteryKensal Green CemeteryKensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
- monument with figures to Sir Thomas Caryll, Shipley Church, SussexSussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(1831) - Baptism of Christ for St John the Baptist's Church, BrightonSt John the Baptist's Church, BrightonSt John the Baptist's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Kemptown area of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It was the first Roman Catholic church built in Brighton after the process of Catholic Emancipation in the early 19th century removed restrictions on Catholic worship...
(1835) - reredosReredosthumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
in the Chapel of the Assumption, Warwick St, London (1853) - four works - statue of St. John the Baptist, the Immaculate Conception (erected 1858), St Francis of Assisi and St. Patrick - in Basilica of St. John the BaptistBasilica of St. John the BaptistThe Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland....
, St. John's, NewfoundlandSt. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorSt. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...