Biography
The neo-classical sculptor Thomas Campbell (1790-1858) was born in Edinburgh and originally apprenticed to an Edinburgh marble-cutter. With the backing of a wealthy patron, Gilbert Innes, who was the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Scotland, he studied at the Royal Academy Schools in London. Whilst in London, he was informally tutored” by Joseph Nolleken, and worked as a journeyman for Edward Hodges Baily. In 1818, still with his patron's support, he went to Rome, where he was associated with Anton Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen, and was able to set up his own studio. Becoming "the doyen of Scottish expatriate sculptors in Rome" (Smailes), he was given some major commissions, including one for a portrait bust of Sir Henry Raeburn, now in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh; and two for George IV, of Cardinal Consalvi and Pope Pius VII. The latter were after originals” by Thorvaldsen. On returning to England in late 1829 or early 1830, Campbell opened a studio in Leicester Square, London, though he kept his studio in Rome and would travel back there to buy his marble. Like so many other famous Victorians, he was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in north London. — Jacqueline Banerjee, PhD, Associate Editor, the Victorian Web
Works
- Lord William George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck
- Sir Robert Smirke
- Sir John Hope, fourth Earl of Hopetoun
- Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Bibliography
"Thomas Campbell (1790-1858)." National Portrait Gallery record. Viewed 23 December 2009.
"Portrait Bust" (see "Curator's Comments"). The British Museum Collections website. Viewed 23 December 2009.
Smailes, Helen. "Campbell, Thomas (1791-1858)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Viewed 23 December 2009.
Last modified 3 January 2019