Nicholas Read (c. 1733–1787) was an 18th-century English sculptor. He was the only apprentice that Roubiliac ever accepted. His masterpiece is the large and highly odd monument to Admiral Richard Tyrell in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

Life

Read was born in London and was a pupil at St Martins Lane Academy, when his father started to press the sculptor Roubiliac to take him as an apprentice. Roubiliac had vowed not to take apprentices, but agreed to teach Read drawing and modelling. Read (without permission) worked on one of Roubiliac's busts and pleased him by the standard of his work... and so he apprenticed him from 1750 or earlier.''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'' by Rupert Gunnis p. 316 In 1762 Read won a "premium" of 100 guineas from the Society of Arts for a marble figure of

Actaeon In Greek mythology, Actaeon (; ''Aktaiōn'') was the son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, and a famous Thebes, Greece, Theban Greek hero cult, hero. Through his mother he was a member of the ruling House of Cadmus. Like ...

and his dog. On Roubiliac's death in 1762 Read took over his studio at 66 St Martins Lane. In 1766 he created the huge monument to Admiral Tyrell in Westminster Abbey. The monument had a half naked Tyrell broken and floating upwards (detached from its background) with flat clouds (like pancakes) while below HMS Buckingham lies on the seabed trapped by the coral. The monument was moved and the figure of Tyrell removed in the 19th century. The carving of the ship was highly praised. Read "lost his reason" (i.e. had mental health problems) from 1780 onwards and died on 11 July 1787. His will was read the following day and is held at the National Archives at Kew.

Works

*The skeleton on Roubiliac's monument to Elizabeth Nightingale in

(1761) *Monument to Francis Hooper in the Chapel of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

(1763) *Medallion of

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(1763) *Monument to James Kendall at

West Horsley West Horsley is a semi-rural village between Guildford and Leatherhead in Surrey, England. It lies on the A246 road, A246, and south of the M25 motorway, M25 and the A3 road, A3. Its civil parishes in England, civil parish ascends to an ancient ...

(c. 1765) *Monument to Elizabeth and

Stephen Niblett Stephen Niblett D.D. (1697–1766) was an English academic administrator at the University of Oxford. Niblett was elected Warden (head) of All Souls College, Oxford in 1726, a post he held until 1766. During his time as Warden of All Souls ...

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(1766) *Huge monument to Admiral Richard Tyrell in Westminster Abbey (1766), the "Pancake Monument" *Monument to Sir Thomas Morgan, 3rd Baronet at

Kinnersley Kinnersley is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The village is about east of the Wales-England border and north-west of Hereford. Geography At roughly 200 metres above sea level and north of the River Wye, the village ...

(1767) *Monument to Mrs Anne Simons at

Lechlade Lechlade () is a town at the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England, south of Birmingham and west of London. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable, although there is a right of navigation that continues sout ...

(1769) *Monument to the Duchess of Northumberland in Westminster Abbey (1776) to a design by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

*Monument to Rev George Legh in Halifax Parish Church (1776) *Huge monument to

Nicholas Magens Esq. Nicholas Magens or Nicolaus Paul Magens (1697 or 1704–1764) was an attorney, a merchant specializing in Spain and her colonies in America, and an expert on ship insurance, general average and bottomry who gained a great reputation in co ...

Brightlingsea Brightlingsea (, traditionally , , ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the Tendring District, Tendring district of Essex, England. It is situated between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, at the mouth of the River Colne, Essex, River Colne, on ...

(1779) *Monument to James Poole at

Great Budworth Great Budworth is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England, north of Northwich off the A559 road, east of Comberbach, northwest of Higher Marston and southeast of Budworth Heath. Until 1948, Great Budworth was part of the Arley Hall esta ...

(1785)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Nicholas 1787 deaths 18th-century English sculptors 18th-century English male artists Sculptors from London English male sculptors Year of birth uncertain