Charles Francis Summers (1858-1945) was an Australian sculptor. The son of the British-born sculptor

Charles Summers Charles Summers (27 July 1825 – 24 October 1878) was an English sculptor active in London, Melbourne and Rome. He was an important figure in the Australian art world of the 1850s and 60s, and is particularly remembered as the creator of th ...

, he worked mainly in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, travelling back and forth to Australia to sell his pieces.

Career

Summers lived in

for thirty years, studying sculpture under his father, and drawing with Italian painter Ludovico Seitz. In Melbourne, he had a studio in the

Grosvenor Chambers Grosvenor Chambers, at number 9 Collins Street, Melbourne, contained the first custom-built complex of artists' studios in Australia. Initiation The owner was Edinburgh-born Charles Stewart Paterson (1843-1917) who with W. Davidson, and al ...

, and later, in Jolimont. He was amongst the first to quarry marble in Victoria, in the area of

Benambra Benambra is a town 28 kilometres (17 mi) north-east of Omeo and 430 kilometres (267 mi) east of the state capital Melbourne, in the Australian Alps of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Nearby towns include Swifts ...

Works

A selection of Summers's works is preserved in the Art Museum of

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

, New Zealand. A number of Summers' sculptures including ''La Ballerina'' (c.1880s), ''The Four Seasons'' (''Spring'', ''Summer'', ''Autumn'', and ''Winter'') (c. 1870s), and ''The Boxers'' are situated in the

Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove, New South Wales, Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of ...

. Five of his sculptures (''Flight From Pompeii'', ''Modesty'', ''Rebekah'', ''Ruth'', and ''Susannah'') along with the pavilion in which they are housed are listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. ...

and are located in the

Ballarat Botanical Gardens The Ballarat Botanical Gardens Reserve, located on the western shore of picturesque Lake Wendouree, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, covers an area of 40 hectares which is divided into three distinct zones. The central Botanical Gardens reserve ...

. "The Shunammite Woman" and "An Episode of Pompeii"is held by the

Bendigo Art Gallery Bendigo Art Gallery is an Australian art gallery located in Bendigo, Victoria. It is one of the oldest and largest regional art galleries. History The gallery was founded in 1887. The gallery's collection was first housed in the former Bendig ...

References

External links

''A Peverse Past: The Persistence Of Objects'' - thesis about Summers and his works (restricted access)Charles Francis Summers: Australian Art and Artists file at the State Library Victoria
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Charles Francis 19th-century Australian sculptors 20th-century Australian sculptors 1858 births 1945 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing Date of birth missing Date of death missing Victorian Heritage Register Artists from Victoria (state) People from the Colony of Victoria