William Couper
Encyclopedia
William L Couper was an American
sculptor.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia
, Couper returned from the studios of Munich
and Florence
and established himself in New York
in 1897 as a portraitist and sculptor of busts in the modern Italian manner. He was the son-in-law of sculptor Thomas Ball
(1819-1911) and colleague of Daniel Chester French
.
Couper is well known for his winged figures, such as the Recording Angel in Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk, and allegorical figures Pysche, and A Crown for the Victor, in the Montclair Art Museum
.
Couper lived in Montclair, New Jersey
until his death in 1942.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor.
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Couper returned from the studios of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and established himself in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1897 as a portraitist and sculptor of busts in the modern Italian manner. He was the son-in-law of sculptor Thomas Ball
Thomas Ball (artist)
Thomas Ball was an American artist and musician. His work has had a marked influence on monumental art in the United States, especially in New England.-Life:...
(1819-1911) and colleague of Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
.
Couper is well known for his winged figures, such as the Recording Angel in Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk, and allegorical figures Pysche, and A Crown for the Victor, in the Montclair Art Museum
Montclair Art Museum
The Montclair Art Museum is located in Montclair, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.-Collection:The Montclair Art Museum is one of the few museums in the United States devoted to American art and Native American art forms. The collection consists of more than 12,000 works...
.
Couper lived in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
until his death in 1942.
Works
- Confederate Monument in downtown Norfolk, VA 1906
- Bronze statue of Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuireHunter McGuireHunter Holmes McGuire, M.D. was a physician, teacher, and orator. He started several schools and hospitals which later became part of the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. His statue sits prominently on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol...
at the Virginia State CapitolVirginia State CapitolThe Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital of Virginia. It houses the oldest legislative body in the United States, the Virginia General Assembly...
, Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Statue of Captain John Smith overlooking the James RiverJames River (Virginia)The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
at JamestownJamestown, VirginiaJamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke... - Bronze bust of Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, created NY 1909 and presented to the American Museum of Natural History. A replica of this piece was also presented to Christ's College, CambridgeChrist's College, CambridgeChrist's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
where Darwin had been an undergraduate. - Statue of Joseph BryanJoseph BryanJoseph Bryan was a United States Representative from Georgia. He was born Savannah, Georgia. He was educated by private tutors and attended Oxford University in England. He traveled in France during the American Revolutionary War...
, Monroe Park, Richmond, Virginia 1910 - Marble Sphinxes at Stanford Family Mausoleum at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Palo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
1908
Sources
- Couper, Greta Elena, An American Sculptor on the Grand Tour: The Life and Works of William Couper (1853-1942), TreCavalli Press, 1988
- http://museum.stanford.edu/view/sculpturemap.pdf
External links
- An American Sculptor on the Grand Tour - a complete illustrated biography