Grinling Gibbons - a beginning

Much more to follow on Grinling Gibbons, but I am building this blog one post at a time.

Grinling Gibbons was a Dutch-born sculptor (l648/172l) who produced the most amazing carvings I know of. For those that don't already know him there are some Wiki details here.

In the early 1970's London Transport even produced a guide on where to see his best work in the Capital.

I still think it is the best guide there is but there are a couple of omissions when it comes to Gibbons associations.

Two of these are at the V&A, a statue of him on the South façade and a mosaic on a staircase inside. I was in the area today so got a snap of both.

This mosaic was first painted by J.D. Watson, and then executed by Florence H. Cole and Amelia Gibbon (no relation!) "superintended" by Samuel Cooper for Minton, Hollins & Co.. More details of the original painting (also in their collection) here.


The exterior sculpture is by William S.Frith (1850-1924)

Gibbon's work generally photographs badly, even in the standard books, you do really need to see it to appreciate the skill and artistry. In future posts I will post locations and where possible my own attempts at photography.

The Father of the Lions and that Lion's Father

After an interesting comment on a previous lion post by ChrisP yesterday, I went off in search of the stone original of the lions in Dover Street and elsewhere. Just as Chris said, there it was at the Royal British Society of Sculptors, Old Brompton Road. Thank you again for the information.

As I was in the area, I went off to get a picture of the Stevens statue on the South facade of the V&A. En route I passed this!

Yes, yet another version, this one larger than the Dover Street and the Law Society lions. He is one of several, high up on the railings outside the Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road. A couple of minutes later and I was at the V&A.

This is the creator of the lions, Alfred Stevens (1817-75) portrayed by James Gamble, looking out onto Cromwell Road from the V&A. I felt quite pleased by now, I had snapped the original lion, another related lion on a prestigious institution's railings and the statue of their creator. So I wandered home, via a pub and saw this.

A modern concrete copy of the same lion, one of a pair, guarding the entrance to a garage in Chelsea. I feel sure I will be seeing more of the same now I have started this! I will post only the notable ones.