Page 56 - Studio International - July August 1972

conception to the now derelict shrine by Thomas Johnson in Lichfield, a Drake in Plymouth. But a sense of place and history. It could not be said
Worthington in Albert Square, Manchester. you would need an excellent biographical that the programme fettered the sculptors —
Sir Gilbert Scott and his craftsmen elaborated memory to find the Lesser Greats. Where would Theed and Foley and Behnes were harmlessly
the whole mid-Victorian message: you find John Howard, and who stands in employed; it would be horrible had they been
internationalism, trade, culture and the arts of Sudbury ? Where are Sidney Herbert and the allowed to turn their minds and chisels to art.
peace—spiritual Free Trade. Every continent, blind Postmaster-General ? Who was Wisbech's But after the Seventies the situation changed
every industry, every genius—it was a most famous son ? Which town houses Edith and the younger sculptors were to be maimed by
programme that only the British of that time, Cavell and Sir Thomas Browne ? Which the memorial patronage they had to accept.
with superb inventiveness, optimism and constituency did Charles Bradlaugh represent, The factory system of English sculpture
innocence, could have produced. Scott was where was Isaac Watts born ? In which town with its assistants and ghosts was exposed in the
reasonably fortunate with his sculptors. At would you find the banker Heywood and the longest and most enjoyable of English art trials,
least from a distance the groups look bold, scientist Dalton ? Perhaps some could answer Belt v Lawes of 1882-4. It was important in that
close-to the reliefs by Philip and Armstead are most of these questions but surely there is no one it displayed thoroughly the division between the
skilful, and the Memorial remains splendid, who can identify all the Least Great. Who were older men and the younger art sculptors who
marvellously provincial and absurd. But it set Dr J. Dorrian (Bolton), John Harrison (Leeds), were under Leighton's wing. Belt, the nominal
out the purpose of sculpture. It was to educate, Canon Lester (Liverpool), the Earl of sculptor of the Hyde Park Byron, was accused
to elevate, and to commemorate. Victorian Iddesleigh (Exeter), H. W. Schneider by his fellow sculptor Lawes (athlete,
sculpture had behind it these three justifications; (Barrow-in-Furness), Herbert Ingram (Boston), oarsman and later Baronet) of employing ghosts.
the art was incidental. Ebenezer Elliott (Sheffield) ? It is a relief to Belt brought an action for libel, the last case to
For the following forty years the sculptural know that Liverpool remembered the Utterly be heard in Westminster Hall. Tons of
programme was to be carried through, the Great in Raphael and Michelangelo. One sculpture was carried in as evidence, Lawes was
iconography completed. The sense of national inexplicable feature was the absence of literary backed by Leighton and eighteen of his
pride was not restricted to contemporaries (it figures; one would have expected a Dickens in Academicians, and Belt offered to perform a
was after all the century which ended with the every major city. Perhaps the stories of his sculpture in front of judge and jury. It provided
Dictionary of National Biography), and the private life went against him. the spectators with much amusement and the
programme was made retrospective. As a This spread of Worthies was an aspect, and papers with good copy. In the end Belt was given
guessing game you can locate memorials fairly maybe a comic one, of Victorian educationalism the verdict and retained it through two appeals
exactly without ever having seen them. You and high seriousness, but it now seems totally (in G. E. Street's Law Courts), whereupon
could assume a Bright and a Cobden in admirable. These statues, most of them Lawes went bankrupt. The irony of the case
Manchester, a Chamberlain in Birmingham, a worthless, have and do provide information and was that it was heard before Baron

Albert Memorial, London, by Gilbert Scott. Photo: National Monuments Record
The Cavell Monument, St Martin's Place, London.

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