Robert Anning Bell (14 April 1863 – 27 November 1933) was an English artist and designer.

Early life

Robert Anning Bell was born in London on 14 April 1863, the son of Robert George Bell, a cheesemonger, and Mary Charlotte Knight. He studied at

University College School University College School, also known as UCS, is a private day school in Frognal, Hampstead, London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. ...

, the Westminster School of Art, and the

Royal Academy Schools 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 ...

, followed by a time in Paris.

Career

Bell was articled as an architect to his uncle, Samuel Knight. On his return he shared a studio with George Frampton. With Frampton he created a series of designs for an altarpiece which was exhibited at the

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

Exhibition Society and later installed in the Church of St Clare, Liverpool. From 1895 to 1899 Bell was an instructor at the Liverpool University school of architecture. During this time he became associated with the Della Robbia Pottery in

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

and also was becoming increasingly successful as a book designer and illustrator. In 1911 Bell was appointed chief of the design section at the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...

, and from 1918 to 1924 he was professor of design at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

. He continued to paint and exhibited at 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 ...

, the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) is a society for contemporary artists that was founded in London, England, in 1886 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. The NEAC holds an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries ...

and the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours,Rose, Peter, 'Bell, Robert Anning (1863–1933)', ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, Sept 2004; online edition, May 200

Retrieved 8 October 2008 as well as at the Society of Graphic Art's first exhibition in 1921. In 1921 he was elected as Master of the

Art Workers' Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of al ...

. He designed the great

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

in the tympanum at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

from sketches left by the architect John Francis Bentley; the work was completed in 1916. Bell worked from 1922 on mosaics for 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 ...

. Depictions of

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

of Ireland and

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

were erected in the Central Lobby; in Saint Stephen's Hall, one panel was erected depicting

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

, King Stephen and

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

and another showing

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

presenting the design for St Stephen's Chapel to his Master Mason, Michael of Canterbury. The last of these mosaics was unveiled in 1926.

Personal life

His second wife was fellow artist Laura Richard whom he married in 1914 (he had previously been married to Amy Caroline Ditcham in 1900).England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837–1915, 1914 Jul–Sep Vol 1a page 1304 He had no children by either wife; Laura lost her only son (Charles Antoine Richard Troncy) by her previous husband (the artist Emile Troncy) in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He died in London on 27 November 1933, aged 70, and his ashes were interred in

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, England. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. The churc ...

. A memorial to him lies above them.

Gallery

File:Edward Stott Memorial Window.jpg, Stained-glass memorial for

Edward Stott Edward Stott (24 April 1855 – 19 March 1918) was an English painter of the late Victorian to early twentieth century period. He trained in Paris under Carolus Duran and was strongly influenced by the Rustic Realism (arts), Naturalism of Bast ...

ARA at St Michael's Church, Amberley, West Sussex File:St Matthew's Church - Paisley - Stained Glass Window.jpg, Stained-glass window in St Matthew's Church, Paisley File:Crystal ball anning bell.jpg, The Chrystal Ball File:Robert Anning Bell8.jpg, The Magic Chrystal File:Robert Anning Bell - La belle dame sans merci.jpg, La belle dame sans merci File:Mary-travelingElizabeth.jpg, Mary in the House of Elizabeth File:Mosaic_at_the_Horniman_Museum.jpg, Horniman Museum mosaic File:Anning bell21.jpg, Portrait of a Woman File:Bell A-flight-of-fairies 19.jpg, A Flight of Fairies, book illustration in

gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouach ...

File:Anning bell the romance.jpg, The Romance File:Fragrant posy anning bell.jpg, Fragrant Posy File:Pool AnningBell.jpg, The Pool File:Westminster Cathedral tympanum.jpg, The tympanum at Westminster Cathedral

References

External links

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UNCG American Publishers' Trade Bindings: Robert Anning BellCharles Lamb's ''Tales from Shakespeare'' illustrated by Robert Anning Bell
on the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

'
Digital Collections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Robert Anning 1863 births 1933 deaths 19th-century English painters Alumni of the Westminster School of Art English male painters 20th-century English painters English designers Painters from London People educated at University College School Royal Academicians Burials at St James's Church, Piccadilly Masters of the Art Worker's Guild 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists