The Flaxman Gallery

UCL ART MUSEUM

Introduction

The Flaxman Gallery showcases sculpture models by renowned neoclassical British artist John Flaxman. The models form part of UCL Art Museum’s Flaxman Collection which includes drawings, prints and further models. Additional volumes of prints are found in the holdings of UCL Library Special Collections.

The gallery opened to the public in 1851. Nineteenth and early 20th-century visitors entered the university’s main building from the portico steps and through the Flaxman Gallery. Today the entrance to the gallery is via UCL’s Main Library.

The contemporary design of the Flaxman Gallery reconnects visitors to UCL’s grand architectural history.

Northeast wall

Southeast wall

Architectural history

The origins of this unique sculpture gallery rest with UCL’s first architect, William Wilkins (1778–1839), who created the octagonal hall as part of a larger plan in 1826–30. UCL’s first professor of architecture, Thomas Donaldson (1795–1885), modified and added to Wilkins’ plan in the mid-19th century and designed the Flaxman Gallery.

First architectUCL’s first architect William Wilkins envisaged the 19th-century visitor entering the university through the octagonal hall situated at the top of the portico steps. A library was to be to the south, a museum of natural history to the north, and a great hall to the east. The central architectural feature was a circular opening in the floor called an oculus that visually connected the dome to the ground floor.

Second architectUCL’s second architect Thomas Donaldson modified and added to William Wilkins’ architectural vision for UCL in the mid-19th century. Donaldson created the Flaxman Gallery while designing the general library, now named after him, on the site of Wilkins’ unfinished great hall which had been destroyed by fire.

Today’s visionThe solution for retaining the statue of St Michael Overcoming Satan and the reopening of the oculus has been created by Burwell Deakins Architects, and unites the visions of the two original architects. The new installation involves the insertion of a structural glass plinth to support the statue in its original position, now suspended over the oculus, reconnecting visitors with the vistas between the Flaxman Gallery and the Octagon Gallery below.

The Flaxman Gallery

At the time of the redesign of the Wilkins Building in the mid-19th century, the family of renowned neoclassical sculptor John Flaxman donated the contents of the artist’s studio to UCL. Instrumental to this bequest was Henry Crabb Robinson. A key figure in the university’s history, Crabb Robinson was also a great friend of many artists, philosophers and poets.

In 1849, 39 of Flaxman’s full-scale plaster models were set into the walls of the octagonal hall under UCL’s dome. The central feature of the oculus was closed, enabling the model for St Michael Overcoming Satan to become the centrepiece of the gallery.

For more than 160 years, the Flaxman Gallery underwent many changes. In 1922, the statue of St Michael was moved to the portico where it escaped later wartime damage to the dome and the gallery below. Following a nomadic period, during which the statue was loaned to other institutions, St Michael finally returned to the centre of the Flaxman Gallery in 1994.

George Scharf, Flaxman Gallery, 1851 engraving UCL Art Museum 2849

The Flaxman Collection

The Flaxman Collection at UCL contains the largest single group of works by John Flaxman. This unique archive, including plaster models, drawings and prints, offers insight into the artist’s working methods and the genesis of individual monuments. The majority of the Flaxman Collection, including models originally displayed in spaces adjacent to the Flaxman Gallery, is now housed in UCL Art Museum. Amongst the Flaxman-related holdings of UCL Library Special Collections is the artist’s illustrated journal from his time in Italy.

John Flaxman RA

John Flaxman (1755–1826) was acknowledged as the leading sculptor in England during his lifetime. His work ranged from large-scale monuments celebrating the lives of national heroes, such as Lord Nelson, to memorials for ordinary people. He was widely admired in Europe for his outline drawings illustrating Dante, Homer and Aeschylus, which had a considerable influence on the development of neoclassicism.

Subscibers’ private view ticket, 1851 UCL Art Museum

Flaxman’s career

Early lifeJohn Flaxman was the son of a plaster-cast maker who worked for many leading sculptors of the mid-18th century. Showing early promise as an artist, Flaxman attended the Royal Academy Schools where he formed lasting friendships with the artists William Blake and Thomas Stothard. From 1775 to 1788 he worked for Josiah Wedgwood, making designs of classical reliefs and medallions for the manufacturer’s famous Jasperware.

International acclaimFlaxman’s breakthrough came during a period of study in Rome (1787–94) when he received sculptural commissions from influential British patrons. He also achieved an international reputation for his drawings illustrating Dante, Homer and Aeschylus, published in numerous editions and then copied widely across Europe. Flaxman’s economical use of line had a profound impact on the work of his contemporaries as well as later generations of artists.

ReputationFlaxman’s work as a sculptor was largely for funerary monuments, the only form of patronage on which a sculptor could depend in England. Wars with France provided opportunities for Flaxman to design heroic public monuments as well as simple memorials. His achievements were officially recognised when he was appointed to the newly-established post of Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy in 1810.

John Flaxman, Self-Portrait at the Age of Twenty-Four, 1779 pen and ink UCL Art Museum 616

Flaxman’s plaster models

The plaster models in the Flaxman Gallery once formed part of the artist’s studio. Flaxman made them so that his assistants could scale up and carve the design into marble. He then kept them in his studio as samples for clients interested in commissioning similar work. Thus, the plaster casts, taken from the clay modelled by Flaxman himself, are the most vivid expression of his sculptural art.

Working methodsFlaxman was one of the first British sculptors to use plaster models in the design of his monuments. He started with a small clay prototype that he worked up into a completed design and then had cast into plaster to create his model. The plaster model served as a reference for his assistants to use when they carved the sculpture in marble.

St Michael Overcoming Satan (1819–1824)This full-scale plaster model of St Michael, God’s chief warrior in the heavenly battle against Satan, was made in preparation for a marble sculpture carved for the Third Earl of Egremont, one of the great art patrons of Flaxman’s time. The finished piece is at Petworth House, which itself contains the National Trust’s finest collection of art.

Studio plinthIn the current design for the Flaxman Gallery, the statue of St Michael is separated from its early plinth. The plinth’s turntable top with metal castors would have allowed Flaxman to rotate the sculpture within a crowded studio. Sculptures were commonly placed on such plinths during this period so that audiences could obtain different perspectives of the composition.

St Michael Overcoming Satan – studio plinth

The Tonks mural

The Four Founders of UCL, 1922 Henry Tonks (1862–1937)

Painted for UCL’s centenary, this mural depicts a fictional meeting between the principal figures associated with the university’s founding in an attempt to reinforce its secular values. At the right, the architect William Wilkins presents his plans to Jeremy Bentham and Thomas Campbell who first conceived of the idea of a London university. At the left, stand Henry Brougham and Henry Crabb Robinson, instrumental to the Flaxman bequest to UCL.

work 26

work 5

The Flaxman Gallery

All sculptures are full-scale models for parts of funerary monuments. On entering the gallery from the main staircase, the description begins on your left with the northeast wall and continues in a clockwise direction. Each wall is numbered consecutively from top left to bottom right.

Northeast wall

1. Religion Comforting the Mourner. Monument to Eliza Caswall, 1816–17

2. Sisters in Affliction. Monument to John Phillimore and Susannah Phillimore, 1804

3. The Dying Christian Instructed and Comforted by Faith. Monument to John Monck, 1810

4. The Good Samaritan: Go and Do Thou Likewise. Monument to William Bosanquet, 1813–15

5. The Lord’s Prayer: Deliver Us from Evil. Monument to the Baring Family, 1806–13

The subject of this plaster model – which is derived from the Lord’s Prayer, the central prayer in Christianity – depicts two angels rescuing a man from the clutches of a serpent and two falling demons. The scene eventually formed part of a larger monument translated into marble for Sir Francis Baring, founder of the financial house of Baring Brothers & Company and chairman of the East India Company.

6. The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter: Weep Not, She is Not Dead but Sleepeth. Monument to Emily Mawby, 1822–3

7. The Lord’s Prayer: Lead Us Not into Temptation, c.1805Early design connected to the Baring monument (see 5).

8. The Flight of Satan from Paradise, c.1820This scene of angels charging towards Satan, who falls backwards as he flees from paradise, is taken from John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667), an epic poem concerning the biblical story of the fall of man. Flaxman made a number of drawings for Paradise Lost, presumably for book illustrations, though these were never published.

9. The Lord’s Prayer: Deliver Us from Evil, c. 1805Early design connected to the Baring monument (see 5).

Southeast wall

10. Instruction of the Heathen: Believe. Monument to the Reverend Christian William Gericke, 1809–12

11. Celestial Consolation: They Shall in No Wise Lose Their Reward. Monument to the Reverend Thomas Ball and Margaret Ball, 1785

12. Sisters in Affliction. Monument to Samuel Buck, 1807

13. Brother and Sister in Grief. Monument to George Pitt, 1st Lord Rivers, 1804

14. The Lord’s Prayer: for Thine is the Kingdom. Monument to the Baring Family, 1809–13 (see 5)

15. The Memory of the Just is Blessed. Monument to Ann Fortescue, 1817–19

work 8 (crop)

work 17

16. A Sorrowing Family. Monument to Sophia Hoare, 1825

17. Christ Blessing Children: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me, and Forbid Them Not. Monument to Three Infant Children of Francis Redfearn, 1803–4

This model was made for a monument commissioned by Francis Redfearn and Julia Steuart in commemoration of their three children who died within the years 1798 to 1802. The mandorla shape framing Christ with three children refers to the glory of light surrounding the figure of the resurrected Christ and reflects Flaxman’s interest in medieval art. A smaller version of the model is currently housed at UCL Art Museum.

18. Domestic Affliction. Monument to Lady Shuckburgh-Evelyn, 1798

Over south arch

19. Britannia and Victory Raising a Medallion Portrait. Monument to Captain Miller, 1801–4

Southwest wall

20. English Law. Monument to Sir William Jones, 1801(see 21 and 22)

21. Sir William Jones Forming a Digest of Hindu and Mohammedan Laws Assisted by Learned Pundits. Monument to Sir William Jones, 1796-8

(see 20 and 22)

22. Hindu Law. Monument to Sir William Jones, 1801(see 20 and 21)

23. A Hindu Pandit and a Muslim Sage. Monument to Josiah Webbe, 1807–11

24. Britannia. Monument to Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, 1799–1805

This model was made for a monument to Lord North (1732–1805), Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770–82, who led the country through most of the American War of Independence. The figure of Britannia recurs in Flaxman’s work, usually in tombs related to the Napoleonic wars. Flaxman received many commissions for sculptural monuments celebrating the lives of national heroes and worthy politicians.

25. Beatitude: Then Shall the Good be Received into Life Everlasting. Monument to Elizabeth Knight, 1806–9

26. A Brahmin and a Mohammedan in Earnest Converse for their Country’s Good. Monument to Major-General Sir Barry Close, Bart, 1815

This work references the career of Major General Sir Barry Close and the uniting of native Hindu and Muslim leaders under the British East India Company. Close’s military and diplomatic role in India was in the service of the East India Company who paid for this monument. The finished marble is located at St Mary’s Church, Fort St George, in Madras, India (see centre spread).

27. Instruct the Ignorant. Monument to Abraham Balme, 1809–12

The subject is one of the Eight Acts of Mercy, of which Flaxman also made a series of drawings.

28. Pandora Brought to Earth by Mercury, 1805Flaxman’s illustrations to Hesiod’s, Works and Days, include a similar composition, which was engraved by his friend William Blake. The whereabouts of the marble of this subject are not known.

work 24 (crop)

work 37

Over west arch

29. Comfort in Affliction: Blessed are They That Mourn. Monument to Mary Blackshaw, 1798–9

Northwest wall

30. Study. Monument to John Braithwaite, 1802

31. Maternal Instruction. Monument to Viscountess Fitzharris, 1816–17

32. Contemplation. Monument to the Reverend William Saltren, 1813

33. Charity. Monument to Georgiana, Countess Spencer, 1816–19

34. Alms-Giving: Blessed are They who Consider the Poor. Monument to the Yarborough family, 1803–6

35. Maternal Affection, c.1811

36. A Vision. Is it Peace? It is Peace. Monument to Mrs Mary Ann Bosanquet, 1820

37. Collins the Poet Contemplating the Holy Bible. Monument to William Collins, 1795

This is a model made for a monument to William Collins (1721–59) – the author of ‘Ode to Evening’ and ‘The Passions’ – which was commissioned by Flaxman’s friend and patron, the poet William Hayley. The verses inscribed on the tomb refer to Collins’ madness in his final years when he haunted Chichester Cathedral in despair, finding solace only in the Bible.

38. Clerical Instruction. Monument to the Reverend John Clowes, 1819–20

Over north arch

39. The Death of Sir Isaac Pocock, 1814

Centre

40. St Michael Overcoming Satan, 1819–24Full-scale model for the marble at Petworth House, Sussex, commissioned by the Earl of Egremont.

Southwest wall

Northwest wall

South

West

North

Arches

UCL Museums and Public Engagement UCL’s outstanding collections play an unparalleled role in the university’s ethos of opening up and transforming education. Created by pioneers of academic research, these extensive and historically important collections are integral to interdisciplinary teaching and research at UCL.

Five collections – UCL Art Museum, the Grant Museum of Zoology, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, and the Geology and Archaeology Collections – are open to the public. Other collections such as Historical Science, Pathology and Anthropology – primarily for teaching and research, can be seen and studied by appointment. The collections are publicly accessible through a wide range of exhibitions, events and outreach programmes.

www.ucl.ac.uk/museums

UCL Library Special Collections These collections comprise more than half a million rare books, manuscripts, and archives dating back to the fourth century, spanning several continents and cultures. John Flaxman’s journal and volumes of engravings are among the unique archive collections of individuals and institutions that sit alongside the many important early printed books and medieval manuscripts in the collections’ holdings. www.ucl.ac.uk/library/special-coll

Flaxman GalleryUCL Main LibraryWilkins Building Open Monday-SundayUCL opening hourswww.ucl.ac.uk/library/main

UCL Art Museum South Cloisters Wilkins Building

Open Monday–Friday, 1–5pm+44 (0)20 7679 2540college.art@ucl.ac.uk

UCL Art Museum

The museum is home to more than 10,000 works of art, including prize-winning pieces from the Slade School of Fine Art, prints and drawings by old masters such as Dürer, Rembrandt and Turner. The Flaxman Collection includes prints, drawings and sculpture models by John Flaxman. It forms the earliest bequest in the museum’s holdings and is the largest group of works by the artist in a single collection.

Located in a traditional print room at the heart of UCL, the museum’s art collections are publicly accessible through temporary exhibitions and events, and by appointment to study the permanent collections. UCL Art Museum’s unique collaborations with researchers and artists offer new perspectives on familiar and rare objects from the 1490s to the present day.

www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/uclart

Drawings after Flaxman by Nelly Dimitranova, 2012

Photography:Tony SladeMary Hinkley Rob Eagle

Centre