Edmund Burke (Thomas)
Encyclopedia
Edmund Burke is a public artwork by British
artist James Havard Thomas, located on Massachusetts Avenue
in Washington, D.C.
, United States
. Edmund Burke was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
survey in 1993. The monument is a bronze
full length statue
of Irish
statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher Edmund Burke
.
. His hair curls up just above his ears and is parted down the middle. The sculpture sits upon a rectangular granite
base (H. 72 in. x 92 in.). The sculpture is signed: J. Havard Thomas MDCCXCIV/CAST A CIRE PERDUE H.H. MARTYN Co. Ltd. Cheltenham 1922.
The front side of the base is inscribed with:
BVRKE
1729-1797
"MAGNANIMITY IN POLITICS IS
NOT SELDOM THE
TRVEST WISDOM"
The east side of the base is inscribed with:
THIS STATVE
A COPY OF THE WORK
OF HARVARD THOMAS IN
THE CITY OF BRISTOL/ENGLAND WAS PRESENT
ED THROVGH THE SVL
GRAVE INSTITVTION TO
THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA
BY SIR CHARLES CHEERS
WAKEFIELD BARONET
FORMERLY LORD MAYOR
OF LONDON/ERECTED A.D. 1922
As part of American Revolution Statuary
in Washington, D.C. the statue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, England
. Cast by M.H. Martyn Company, the sculpture was presented to the United States by Sir Charles Cheers Wakefield, the former Lord Mayor of London
. It was dedicated on October 12, 1922.
In September 1922, Frederick D. Owen built a temporary base for the sculpture, which was moved during courthouse renovations in 1922-1923. The permanent base, built in June 1923, was built by Horace W. Peaslee, with stonework by New England Granite Works.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
artist James Havard Thomas, located on Massachusetts Avenue
Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District is a historic district that includes part of it....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Edmund Burke was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....
survey in 1993. The monument is a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
full length statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
.
Description
The full length sculpture of Burke depicts him stepping forward by way of his right leg. He is waving his proper right hand, and in his proper left hand he holds a three-cornered hat at his side. Burke wears a long jacket, a vest, and breechesBreeches
Breeches are an item of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles...
. His hair curls up just above his ears and is parted down the middle. The sculpture sits upon a rectangular granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
base (H. 72 in. x 92 in.). The sculpture is signed: J. Havard Thomas MDCCXCIV/CAST A CIRE PERDUE H.H. MARTYN Co. Ltd. Cheltenham 1922.
The front side of the base is inscribed with:
BVRKE
1729-1797
"MAGNANIMITY IN POLITICS IS
NOT SELDOM THE
TRVEST WISDOM"
The east side of the base is inscribed with:
THIS STATVE
A COPY OF THE WORK
OF HARVARD THOMAS IN
THE CITY OF BRISTOL/ENGLAND WAS PRESENT
ED THROVGH THE SVL
GRAVE INSTITVTION TO
THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA
BY SIR CHARLES CHEERS
WAKEFIELD BARONET
FORMERLY LORD MAYOR
OF LONDON/ERECTED A.D. 1922
As part of American Revolution Statuary
American Revolution Statuary
American Revolution Statuary is a group of fourteen statues in Washington, D.C., listed with the National Register of Historic Places. The statues are scattered across Washington, mainly in squares and traffic circles, with four statues of European officers displayed in Lafayette Square, across...
in Washington, D.C. the statue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Information
This sculpture is a cast of the original which is on display in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Cast by M.H. Martyn Company, the sculpture was presented to the United States by Sir Charles Cheers Wakefield, the former Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
. It was dedicated on October 12, 1922.
In September 1922, Frederick D. Owen built a temporary base for the sculpture, which was moved during courthouse renovations in 1922-1923. The permanent base, built in June 1923, was built by Horace W. Peaslee, with stonework by New England Granite Works.