John Bushnell
Encyclopedia
John Bushnell was an English
sculptor, known for several outstanding funeral monuments in English churches and Westminster Abbey
. Several anecdotes concerning his haughty disposition and increasing eccentricity were repeated in artistic circles and recorded in the eighteenth century by George Vertue
in his notebooks.
His widow Mary and his sons continued to live in his half-finioshed house near Hyde Park, London
after his death, keeping at bay strangers curious to see his remaining sculptures, and by degrees destroying them.
Bushnell's reputation stood high enough in the mid-nineteenth century for an imaginary portrait representing him to be included among the world's great sculptors in the Frieze of Parnassus
on the Albert Memorial
, London.
, A Dictionary of British Sculptors, 1660-1851 (rev. ed. 1968), s.v. "Bushnell, John".
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...
sculptor, known for several outstanding funeral monuments in English churches and Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. Several anecdotes concerning his haughty disposition and increasing eccentricity were repeated in artistic circles and recorded in the eighteenth century by George Vertue
George Vertue
George Vertue was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period.-Life:...
in his notebooks.
His widow Mary and his sons continued to live in his half-finioshed house near Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
after his death, keeping at bay strangers curious to see his remaining sculptures, and by degrees destroying them.
Bushnell's reputation stood high enough in the mid-nineteenth century for an imaginary portrait representing him to be included among the world's great sculptors in the Frieze of Parnassus
Frieze of Parnassus
The Frieze of Parnassus is a large sculpted stone frieze encircling the podium, or base, of the Albert Memorial in London, England. The Albert Memorial was constructed in the 1860s in memory of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria....
on the Albert Memorial
Albert Memorial
The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert who died of typhoid in 1861. The memorial was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the...
, London.
Selected works
The following list is drawn from Rupert GunnisRupert Gunnis
Rupert Forbes Gunnis was an English collector and historian of British sculpture. He is best known for his Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, which "revolutionized the study of British sculpture, providing the foundation for all later studies on the subject".-Life:Born in Cadogan Square,...
, A Dictionary of British Sculptors, 1660-1851 (rev. ed. 1968), s.v. "Bushnell, John".
- Monument of Alvise Mocenigo, S. Lazaro dei Medicanti, Venice
- Charles II and Catherine of Braganza. Standing figures on Temple BarTemple BarTemple Bar may refer to:* The Temple Bar, a spot in London* Temple Bar, Dublin, a cultural quarter in Dublin city* Temple Bar, Ceredigion, a village in Wales* Temple Bar Magazine, British literary magazine published 1860 to 1906...
, London, 1670. - Funeral effigy for the Duke of AlbemarleGeorge Monck, 1st Duke of AlbemarleGeorge Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
's funeral in Westminster Abbey, the face and hands in wax, the robed figure in stuccoStuccoStucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, 1670. - Funeral monument of Henry Stanley, Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, 1670.
- Charles I, Charles II, and Sir Thomas Gresham for the Royal Exchange, 1671. Conserved in Old BaileyOld BaileyThe Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. - Monument to Abraham CowleyAbraham CowleyAbraham Cowley was an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721.-Early life and career:...
(died 1667), Westminster Abbey, 1674. - Monument of William Ashburnham and his wife, Ashburnham, Sussex, 1675.
- Monument of Lord Mordaunt, Fulham Parish Church, 1675.
- Monument to Elizabeth, Lady Myddleton, and two portrait busts of Sir Thomas and Lady Myddelton, Chirk Parish Church, Denbighshire1676.
- Monument of Sir Palmes Fairborne, Westminster Abbey, 1686.
- (attributed) Monument of Lady Henrietta Wentworth, Toddington, BedfordshireToddington, BedfordshireToddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England which is situated 5 miles NNW of Luton, north of Dunstable, south west of Woburn and 35 miles NNW of London on the A5120 and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway and lends its...
, 1686.