John Bacon (sculptor, born 1777)

John Bacon (1777–1859), also known as John Bacon the Younger, or Junior, to distinguish him from his equally famous father, was an English sculptor.

Biography

Bacon was the second son of the sculptor John Bacon and his wife Elizabeth Wade. He was born at his parents' home in Newman Street in the City of Westminster on 13 March 1777.[1] He entered the Royal Academy Schools at the age of twelve, one of the youngest pupils ever admitted.

At fifteen, Bacon exhibited his first work; at sixteen, he was awarded the silver medal of the Royal Academy; and in 1797 he won the gold medal for his statue of Cassandra. His brother Thomas Bacon also exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1793 and 1795. Their father died in 1799, and the younger John Bacon succeeded to his business. He finished such works as he found in progress, including the well-known statue of Lord Cornwallis, and managed to secure ample patronage for himself. He ceased to exhibit at the academy in 1824.

Building projects included the figure of Providence on Trinity House in 1796 and replacing the figures of "Madness" and "Melancholy" over the entrance to Bethlem Hospital (better known as Bedlam) in 1814.

There are six of Bacon's monuments in St Paul's Cathedral and at least eight in Westminster Abbey. There are also two in Windsor Castle.

From 1818 until 1843, Bacon worked in partnership with his former pupil Samuel Manning, but their work appears to be largely by Manning, taking advantage of Bacon's reputation but, in the view of the art historian Rupert Gunnis, lacking the quality of Bacon's work. Bacon himself went into virtual retirement from 1830.[1] He contributed articles on sculpture to Rees's Cyclopædia.

In 1801 he was married to Susanna Sophia Taylor (born 1782). He died in Bath, Somerset on 14 July 1859.

Selected public works

Image Title / subject Location and
coordinates
Date TypeMaterialDimensions DesignationWikidata Notes
Bishop John Thomas Westminster Abbey, London 1793 BustMarble Also attributed to John Bacon, Senior.[1][2]

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Captain Edward Cooke RN Westminster Abbey, London 1799 Sculpture group on pedestal with background reliefMarble [3]

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Sir John Meredith Brecon Cathedral, Powys 1800 Deep relief plaqueStone [1]
Memorial to Rear Admiral Thomas Totty Westminster Abbey, London 1802 Relief plaqueMarble [4]
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis Victoria Memorial, Kolkata 1803 Statue 1809 copy in Bombay[5]
Memorial to Benjamin & Richard Forbes Westminster Abbey, London 1803 Relief plaqueMarble [6]

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Captains John Harvey RN and John Hutt RN Westminster Abbey, London 1804 Sculpture groupMarble [7][8]

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Memorial to Richard Solly Worcester Cathedral 1804 Sculpture groupMarble [1][9]

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General Thomas Dundas St Paul's Cathedral, London 1805 Bust & sculpture group on pedestalMarble [10]
Monument to Lady Maria Micklethwaite Church of SS Mary and Margaret, Sprowston, Norfolk 1805

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Captain George Duff RN St Paul's Cathedral, London 1806 Sculpture group on narrow pedestalMarble [11]

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Lord Henniker Rochester Cathedral, Kent 1806 Sculpture group & relief

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Christian Friedrich Schwarz St. Mary's Church, Chennai. India 1807 Low relief sculptureMarble [5]

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Statue of King William III St James's Square, London 1808 Equestrian statue on pedestalBronze & stone Grade IQ17527231 [12][13]

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Admiral Richard Kempenfelt, Westminster Abbey, London 1808 Pillar with relief & inscriptionsMarble [14]

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George Nicholas Hardinge St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai 1808
Jane Amelia Russell (1789-1808) St. Mary's Church, Chennai, India c. 1808 Relief & sculpture groupMarble [5]

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Sir John Moore, St Paul's Cathedral, London 1809 Sculpture group on pedestalMarble [15][16]

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George Gilbert Keble St. Mary's Church, Chennai, India c. 1811 Sculpture groupsMarble [5]
Memorial to the children of Richard Down St James the Great, Friern Barnet 1814

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Charles Agar, 1st Earl of Normanton Westminster Abbey, London 1815 Sculpture groupMarble [17]

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Colonel Henry Walton Ellis Worcester Cathedral After 1815 Sculpture groupMarble [18]
Charles Robert Ross St. Mary's Church, Chennai, India c. 1816 Low relief sculptureMarble [5]

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Warren Hastings Westminster Abbey, London 1818 Bust & plaqueBronze Designed by Bacon with a bust by Samuel Manning[19]

Other works

Bacon's notable works include:[1]

  • Moses Striking the Rock (1792) RA
  • Bust of his father, John Bacon RA (1798)
Monument to Edward Waldergrave, Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Navestock, Essex
The Flight of Aeneas from Troy by John Bacon the Younger, Foundling Museum, London

With Samuel Manning

References

  1. Rupert Gunnis (1951). Dictionary of British Sculptors, 1660–1851. The Abbey Library.
  2. "John Thomas". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  3. "Edward Cooke". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  4. "Thomas Totty". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  5. Mary Ann Steggles & Richard Barnes (2011). British Sculpture in India: New Views & Old Memories. Frontier Publishing. ISBN 9781872914411.
  6. "Benjamin and Richard Forbes". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  7. "John Harvey". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  8. "John Hutt". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  9. "Monument to Richard Solly". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  10. "Monument to Major General Thomas Dundas". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  11. "Monument to Captain George Duff". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  12. Historic England. "Statue of William III (In centre of Square) (1235855)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  13. Jo Darke (1991). The Monument Guide to England and Wales. Macdonald Illustrated. ISBN 0-356-17609-6.
  14. "Richard Kempenfelt". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  15. "Monument to Sir John Moore". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  16. Jason Edwards, Amy Harris & Greg Sullivan (2021). Monuments of St Paul's Cathedral 1796-1916. Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78551-360-2.
  17. "Charles Agar, 1st Earl of Normanton". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  18. "Monument to Sir Henry Ellis". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  19. "Warren Hastings". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  20. "Monument to the Honourable Edward Waldergrave". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  21. Historic England. "Church of St Mary the Virgin (1240943)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  22. Historic England. "Church of Saint Andrew (1103401)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  23. Historic England. "Church of Saint Mary, Church Lane (1147298)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  24. Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1067102)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  25. "George Bryan". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  26. "Coote Manningham". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  27. "John Plenderleath". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  28. Historic England. "Parish Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (1235106)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  29. Historic England. "Church of Saint James the Great (1361158)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  30. "Thomas Trigge". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  31. "Qwen and William Wynne". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  32. Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1326380)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  33. "Markham family". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  34. Historic England. "Church of St Margaret (1357455)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  35. Historic England. "Church of Saint Andrew (1103747)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  36. Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1349630)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  37. Historic England. "Church of Saint Mary de Castro (1074070)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  38. Historic England. "Parish Church of St Mary (1309701)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  39. Diane Bilbey with Marjorie Trusted (2002). British Sculpture 1470 to 2000 A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. V&A Publications. ISBN 1851773959.

Attribution:  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Bacon, John (1777–1859)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

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