John Cheere (1709–1787) was an English sculptor, born in London. The younger brother of the sculptor Sir

Henry Cheere Sir Henry Cheere, 1st Baronet (1703 – 15 January 1781) was an English sculptor and monumental mason.George Edward Cokayne, ed., ''The Complete Baronetage'', 5 volumes (no date, c.1900); reprint, (Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1983), Vol. ...

, he was originally apprenticed as a

haberdasher __NOTOC__ In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a men's clothing st ...

from 1725 to 1732.

Life

He was born in

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

the son of Sarah and John Cheere. Around 1722 he joined his brother

in the sculpture yard of John Nost and when Henry set up his own yard around 1730, John joined him as a partner. However, in 1739 John returned to Nost's yard which had been unused or underused since Nost's death in 1729. John bought the yard and a number of lead moulds for casting lead statues (which were normally painted in those days). He is now mainly remembered as a creator of lead statues standing in the gardens of stately homes. Some of these (other than the casting) logically may be the artistic work of Nost rather than Cheere. These kinds of sculptures were popular for the

summer house A summer house or summerhouse is a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed t ...

s of the 18th century’s aristocracy. Some were reproductions of classical

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

sculptures, but there was also a demand for statues depicting simple, pastoral themes. Several of the sculptures from Queluz had not been on public view since 1967, and have been restored by Rupert Harris Conservation, in London, and returned to Portugal in May 2009. This restoration was in part made possible by the World Monuments Fund Britain. The

Medici lions The Medici lions are a pair of marble sculptures of lions: one of which is Rome, Roman, dating to the 2nd century AD, and the other a 16th-century Pendant painting, pendant. By 1598 both were placed at the Villa Medici, Rome. Since 1789 they ...

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed building, listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of the Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Stowe School and is owned by the Stowe House Preserv ...

have been attributed to Cheere. He died in 1787 and was buried in Clapham with his first wife.

Works

*Bust on grave of James Lawes on his grave in Halfway Church,

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

(c.1734) *Gilded equestrian statue of William III in

St James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian architecture, Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was ...

, London (1739) *Thirteen busts for Sir John Evelyn at

Wotton House, Surrey Wotton House is a hotel, wedding venue, conference centre and former country house in Wotton near Dorking, Surrey, England. Originally the centre of the Wotton Estate and the seat of the Evelyn family, it was the birthplace in 1620 of diari ...

(1742 to 1745) *Eight plaster busts for Earl Fitzwalter at Moulsham Hall (1743) *Several chimneypieces for Kirtlington Park (1748) *Gilded lead statue of George II for

Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; ) is the Capital city, capital of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. It is the most populous of the twelve parishes of Jersey, with a population of 35,822, over one-third of the island' ...

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

(1751) *Numerous figures for the grottoes and gardens at

Stourhead Stourhead () is a 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre) estate at the source of the River Stour in the southwest of the English county of Wiltshire, extending into Somerset. The estate is about northwest of the town of Mere and includes a Grade I list ...

(1751 to 1766) *Lead figure of Mars in

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

gardens (1752) *Plaster busts for

Henry Hoare Henry Hoare II (1705–1785), known as Henry the Magnificent, was an English banker and garden owner-designer. Family Henry's grandfather, Richard Hoare, was a goldsmith-banker and Lord Mayor of London. His father, Henry Hoare I, bought th ...

's house in

(1753) *98 lead statues ordered by the Portuguese minister in London for the royal palace of Queluz (1756) *Nine mythological figures for the gardens of

Longford Castle Longford Castle is a Grade I listed country house on the banks of the River Avon south of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. It is the seat of the Earl of Radnor and an example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. History In 1573 Thomas Gorges ...

(1759 to 1768) *Two large

wyvern The wyvern ( ), sometimes spelled wivern ( ), is a type of mythical dragon with bipedalism, two legs, two wings, and often a pointed tail. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools an ...

s commissioned by Bishop Trevor,

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

, to flank the entrance to Glynde Place (1759) *Six lead figures and two lead busts for

Bowood House Bowood is a Grade I listed Georgian era, Georgian English country houses, country house in Wiltshire, England, that has been owned for more than 250 years by the Fitzmaurice family. The house, with interiors by Robert Adam, stands in extensive g ...

(1762/3) *Four figures for the Pantheon at

(1766) *Lead statue of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

for

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

Town Hall commissioned by Garrick (1769) painted white around 2015 *Two

sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

es for the bridge at

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's larg ...

(1773) (later moved nearer to house) *Busts of Shakespeare, Plato, Homer and Aristotle for

Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indu ...

(1774) *Four

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

es for

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

(1778) *Various lead animals for Castle Hill, Devon commissioned by Lord Clinton (dnk) *Two lead figures at

Castle Howard Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire, north of York. A private residence, it has been the home of the Earl of Carlisle, Carlisle branch of the House of Howard, Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle ...

(dnk) *Figure of Shakespeare in

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

presented by Samuel Whitbread (dnk)

Family

His first wife, Theodosia Maria, was from the parish of St. Georges near

Hanover Square, London Hanover Square is a green square in Mayfair, Westminster, south west of Oxford Circus where Oxford Street meets Regent Street. Six streets converge on the square which include Harewood Place with links to Oxford Street, Princes Street, Hanover S ...

, but died in May 1767, soon after the death of both her father and only son. He then married Mary Wilmot of

on 30 June 1768. They had no children. On Cheeere's death he left his assets to a nephew, Charles Cheere.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis

Gallery

George II statue St Helier Jersey.jpg, ''George II'' (1751) in the Royal Square, Saint Helier John Cheere Sheperdess.JPG, ''Shepherdess'' (c. 1760-70), at Kew Gardens, London Sphinx_by_John_Cheere_protecting_the_rear_of_Chiswick_Villa.JPG, ''Sphinx'' at

Chiswick House Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694–1753 ...

Palacio da Queluz (21095271506).jpg , ''Summer'' at

Queluz National Palace The Palace of Queluz (, ) is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe,Lowndes, p. 179. the pa ...

, Portugal Palácio Nacional de Queluz e jardins 74.jpg , ''Bacchus and Ariadne'' at

, Portugal Palácio Nacional de Queluz e jardins 75.jpg , ''Venus and Adonis'' at

, Portugal Wrest Park statue of Harlequin.jpg, ''Harlequin'' at

Wrest Park Wrest Park is a Rural, country Estate (house), estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed building, listed English country house, country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, forma ...

, England Glynde Place wyverns.jpg, Glynde Place wyverns ENG Woodstock Blenheim Palace 026.jpg, Sphinx at Blenheim Palace

References

External links

John Cheere
The Henry Moore Foundation/Paul Mellon Centre. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheere, John 1709 births 1787 deaths English sculptors English male sculptors People from Clapham