Patrick MacDowell (12 August 1799 – 9 December 1870) was an Irish-born British sculptor operating through the 19th century.

Biography

MacDowell was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, on 12 August 1799. His father died whilst he was young and the family lived in relative poverty. From 1807 to 1811, he boarded at a school in Belfast, run by an engraver named Gordon, who encouraged his attempts at drawing, and from 1811 to 1813 he was under the tuition of a clergyman in Hampshire. Around 1811, he moved with his mother to

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, where they had relatives. In 1813, at age 14 (the then standard age to begin apprenticeships), he was apprenticed to a coach-builder in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. However, his master went bankrupt and his training as a coach-builder ended abruptly. During this time he was lodging in the house of Pierre Francois Chenu, the sculptor. It is presumed that this engendered an interest in sculpture within the young MacDowell. On the recommendation of

John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...

the painter, he went to the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

Schools and he exhibited at the Academy from 1822 until his death. He was elected a Member on 10 February 1846 and presented as his diploma work a "Nymph.".

Death

MacDowell died at his home in Wood Lane,

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

, London on 9 December 1870, aged 71, and was buried on the eastern side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

. His gravestone incorrectly records the year of his death as 1871.

Other works

MacDowell's works include a statue of Sir William Brown in the Great Hall of

St George's Hall, Liverpool St George's Hall is a building on St George's Place, opposite Liverpool Lime Street railway station, Lime Street railway station in Liverpool city centre, the centre of Liverpool, England. Opened in 1854, it is a Neoclassical architecture, Neocla ...

. His life-size memorial, in marble, to the young Earl of Belfast (died 1853) showing the deceased on his deathbed attended by his mother, was in Belfast Castle Chapel. It was moved to Belfast City Hall. A statue of Sir

Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, Order of the Bath, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary W ...

by MacDowell stands in the centre of the Greenwich Maritime Museum. His last major work was the ''Europe'' allegorical group at the

Albert Memorial The Albert Memorial is a Gothic Revival Ciborium (architecture), ciborium in Kensington Gardens, London, designed and dedicated to the memory of Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Great Britain. Located directly north of the Royal Albert Ha ...

. *Monument to Catherine Spurway at

Milverton, Somerset Milverton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the valley of the River Tone west of Taunton. The village has a population of 1,438. The parish includes the hamlet of Preston Bowyer. It has one public house, ''The Glo ...

(1845) *Statue of the Earl of Warren in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

(1850) *Statue of Almeric in the

(1850) *Statue at the grave of William Turner in

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 ...

(1851) *Monument to the Marchioness of Donegal in

Belfast Castle Belfast Castle (Irish language, Irish: ''Caisleán Bhéal Feirste''Ireland Highlights: Belfast Castle. https://www.irelandhighlights.com/info/belfast-castle/ ) is a mansion located in Cavehill, Cave Hill Country Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland ...

Chapel (1855) *Statue of the Earl of Belfast in Belfast Free Library (1855) *Statue of

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

in the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

(1857) *Statue of the

Earl of Chatham Earl of Chatham, of Chatham in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for William Pitt the Elder on his appointment as Lord Privy Seal, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Pitt, of Burton ...

in the

(1857) *Statue of Viscount Fitzgibbon in Limerick (1858) replaced in 1916 by a monument to the

Easter Uprising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an in ...

*Statue of Sir William Brown at

(1858) *Statue of Lord Plunket in the Four Courts,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

(1863) *Statue of

Earl of Eglinton Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created by James IV of Scotland in 1507 for Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Lord Montgomerie. In 1859, the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winto ...

for

St Stephen's Green St Stephen's Green () is a garden square and public park located in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current landscape of the park was designed by William Sheppard. It was officially re-opened to the public on Tuesday, 27 July 1880 by ...

(1866), blown up by the IRA in 1958

Notes

;Attribution

External links

Patrick MacDowell Info & SculptureMACDOWELL, PATRICK
In: Dictionary of National Biography, 1893, volume= 35 - pages=pages 66–67 {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdowell, Patrick 1799 births 1870 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Royal Academicians British sculptors Artists from Belfast British male sculptors

Biography

Death

Other works

See also

Notes

External links