Edward Bainbridge Copnall (29 August 1903 – 18 October 1973) was a British sculptor and painter. Best known for his architectural and decorative sculptures featuring allegorical and religious subjects. He was the President of the Royal Society of Sculptors from 1961 to 1966.

Early life and career

Architectural Aspiration - Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Copnall was born in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa in 1903 and moved to

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

, West Sussex in England as a young child after the death of his mother. His father, photographer Edward White Copnall (born 1878, Isle of Wight), lived and worked in Horsham from 1915 to 1962. His uncle was

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

-based portrait painter Frank Thomas Copnall (1870–1948). The Copnall family have a long association with Horsham, the street Copnall Way is named after them. The exterior sculptural scheme for the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

new building in Portland Place, London, completed in 1934, was an important early commission. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he worked as a camouflage officer in the Middle East, building dummies as part of the

military deception Military deception (MILDEC) is an attempt by a military unit to gain an advantage during warfare by misleading adversary decision makers into taking action or inaction that creates favorable conditions for the deceiving force. This is usually ...

for Operation Crusader. Copnall lived in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

from 1955 to 1956, and completed 50–60 paintings, mainly portraits, during that time. He was also commissioned to do a memorial of General Aung San, the first Prime Minister of Free Burma. The statue was unveiled in Burma in 1955. He was president of the Royal Society of Sculptors from 1961 to 1966. Bainbridge Copnall wrote ''A Sculptor's Manual'', published in 1971, and ''Cycles: An Autobiography – The Life and Work of a Sculptor'', published in 2001. His son was artist John Copnall.

Notable works

* ''Whither'', 1925. An allegorical painting depicting a funeral in a Horsham graveyard, Horsham Museum & Art Gallery. * Percy Harris's monument in the churchyard of St Nicholas Church, Chiswick; the relief carving depicting the

resurrection of the dead General resurrection or universal resurrection is the belief in a resurrection of the dead, or resurrection from the dead ( Koine: , ''anastasis onnekron''; literally: "standing up again of the dead") by which most or all people who have died ...

was carved in the late 1920s and acquired by Harris for display in his garden. The gravestone is Grade II* listed. * ''Architectural Aspiration'', 1934, exterior and interior,

* ''Sight'' and ''Sound'' panels, 1938, Warner Theatre,

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised town square, square in the West End of London, England, and is the centre of London's entertainment district. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leice ...

, London * Wood carvings for the

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liners and * St James's Theatre panels, 1959, four horizontal

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

panels at the site of St James's Theatre, London. Depicts the heads of Gilbert Miller, George Alexander,

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

and Vivien Leigh) * ''Progression'', 1959, sculpture on facade of Marks & Spencer, 258-264 Edgware Road, London. Removed 1988. * ''The Stag'', 1962, Maidstone, Kent. His largest work, originally located in Stag Place, London but moved to Maidstone in 2004. It was cast in aluminium by H.H. Martyn & Co. *

Crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being crucifixion, nailed to a cross.The instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus f ...

, 1964, St John's Church, Horsham. Made from coal dust and resin, it was removed from the facade of the church in December 2008 to Horsham Museum and Art Gallery. Rev Ewen Souter, the vicar at St John's Church called said it was "a horrifying depiction of pain and suffering" that 'scared children and deterred worshippers'. *

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

, 1970,

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Churchyard, London * ''The Boy David'', 1971,

Chelsea Embankment Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of ...

* exterior work at St Columba's Church, Pont Street, London

Gallery

File:The Stag.jpg, The Stag, Maidstone File:The Boy David, Edward Bainbridge Copnall.jpg, The Boy David, Chelsea Embankment, London File:Bainbridge Copnall's Becket.jpg, Thomas Becket, St Paul's Churchyard, London

References

External links

Copnall, Edward Bainbridge (1903–1973) Sculptor
A comprehensive biography on The National Archives website-includes many photographs of Bainbridge Copnall's work. {{DEFAULTSORT:Copnall, Bainbridge 1903 births 1973 deaths British architectural sculptors Members of the Order of the British Empire Camoufleurs 20th-century British sculptors Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Artists from Sussex English male sculptors South African emigrants to the United Kingdom Artists from Cape Town People from Horsham People from Slinfold