Samuel Nixon (30 June 1804, London – 1854) was a portrait sculptor in London, England.

Career

Nixon's workshop was at 2

White Hart, Bishopsgate The White Hart is a former pub at 121 Bishopsgate, London. The librarian at the Bishopsgate Institute, Charles Goss, wrote a history of the White Hart in 1930, and believed that it dated back to 1246. Samuel Nixon (sculptor) Samuel Nixon ...

(1838–1854). Nixon worked for his friend

Henry Doulton Sir Henry Doulton (25 July 1820 – 18 November 1897) was an English businessman, inventor and manufacturer of pottery, instrumental in developing the ceramics company of Royal Doulton. Life Born in Vauxhall, Henry was the second of the eight ch ...

who established

Royal Doulton Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815. Operating originally in Vauxhall, London, and later moving to Lambeth, in 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in the centre of Engl ...

. He is most well known for the

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

sculpture of

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

(1844), which was originally located near

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

on King William St. and was moved to

King William Walk King William Walk is a street in central Greenwich in London. It runs northwards from the entrance to Greenwich Park along the edge of the Old Royal Naval College to the ''Cutty Sark'' and the nearby Greenwich foot tunnel. The western side of th ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

in 1935.

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term '' ...

called it "a striking and imposing object… a masterpiece" and "one of the chief ornaments of the City of London." It was, they wrote, "admired by all who are capable of appreciating artistic genius." He repeatedly 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 ...

(1824–1846). Nixon also worked on

Goldsmiths' Hall Goldsmiths' Hall is a Listed building#Categories of listed building, Grade I listed building at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London. It has served as an assay office and the headquarters of London's goldsmith gu ...

. He created the four marble statues of children that he entitled The Four Seasons (1844). The statues stand on four pedestals on the lower flight of the grand staircase. Gentleman's Magazine described as "a work of the highest merit ... such beautiful personifications."

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

declared "'The Goldsmiths' is the most magnificent of all the Halls of the City of London." The white marble statues of "The Seasons" are described as "exquisite" and that Nixon achieved "extreme delicacy" with his "masterly chisel." Gentleman's Magazine indicated that he has "been employed principally in Sepulchre sculpture, and had executed numerous works of a superior character in that class, many of which have been sent to Canada." He died at Kennington House,

Kennington Common Kennington Common was a swathe of common land mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth. It was one of the earliest venues for cricket around London, with matches played between 1724 and 1785. G B Buckley, ''Fresh Light on 18th Century Cric ...

in 1854.

Family

Nixon was the seventh child of Thomas and Sarah Nixon, he was baptised at St Mary-at-Hill on 29 July. His elder brother was

James Henry Nixon James Henry Nixon (1802–1857) was an illustrator and painter during the Victorian period, who worked in the firm Ward and Nixon painting stained glass windows. James Henry Nixon was a protégé of Charles Winston, who praised Nixon's work at W ...

(1802–1857), a painter on glass. He was also the uncle of James Thomas Nixon.

Gallery

File:King William IV, King William St, London.png, The Statue of William IV in its original location at King William Street, London (1844) File:Beaufoy Institute (8668009599).jpg, Beaufoy Institute (1850) File:EH1286469 Goldsmiths Hall 03.jpg,

File:Winter, The Seasons by Samuel Nixon, London Illustrated News, 13 Jan 1844.png, Engraving of ''Winter'' (''

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

''), from ''The Seasons'' File:Spring, The Seasons by Samuel Nixon, London Illustrated News, 13 Jan 1844.png, Engraving of ''Spring'' (''

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

''), from ''The Seasons'' File:Summer, The Seasons by Samuel Nixon, London Illustrated News, 13 Jan 1844.png, Engraving of ''Summer'', from ''The Seasons'' File:Autumn, The Seasons by Samuel Nixon, London Illustrated News, 13 Jan 1844.png, Engraving of ''Autumn'', from ''The Seasons'' File:William Bruce Almon monument by Samuel Nixon, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, ''

Parable of the Good Samaritan The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. It is about a traveler (implicitly understood to be Jewish) who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. A Jewish priest and then a Levite ...

'',

St. Paul's Church (Halifax) St. Paul's Church is a historically evangelical Anglican church in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is located at the south end of the Grand Parade, ...

(1840) File:Hibbert Newton Binney's son Monument by Samuel Nixon, St. Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg, ''

Shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

'',

(1835) File:John Carpenter statue - City of London School.jpg, Statue of

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

City of London School The City of London School, also known as CLS and City, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, boys in the City of London, England, on the banks of the River Thames next to the Millennium Bridge, ...

(exhibited at

Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...

in 1844) File:Dr. Richard Valpy by Samual Dixon, St. Lawrence Church, Reading, England.jpg, Statue of Richard Valpy, Headmaster of

Reading School Reading School is a state grammar school for boys with academy status in the English town of Reading, the county of Berkshire. It traces its history back to the school of Reading Abbey and is, thus, one of the oldest schools in England, alth ...

St Laurence's Church, Reading St Laurence's Church is a Church of England mission and former parish church in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated alongside the site of Reading Abbey, formerly bounded by the main Compter Gate to the south ...

(c. 1835) (

Roche Abbey Roche Abbey is a now-ruined abbey in the civil parish of Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the valley of Maltby Dyke, known locally as Maltby Beck, and is administered by English Heritage. It is a scheduled monument and Gra ...

stone) File:Design for the Principle Door of the House of Lords by Samuel Nixon (1844).png, Design for the Principal Door of 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 ...

by Samuel Nixon (1844)

Works

* In 1826 he exhibited at the

‘The Shepherd,’ in 1828 ‘The Reconciliation of Adam and Eve after the Fall,’ in 1830 ‘The Birth of Venus,’ and in 1831 ‘The Infant Moses.’ * Shakespeare (plaster bust after

Shakespeare's funerary monument The Shakespeare funerary monument is a memorial to William Shakespeare located inside Holy Trinity Church at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, the church in which Shakespeare was baptised and where he was buried in the chancel two days after ...

(1846) *

John Stow John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of History of England, English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe C ...

, Plaster bust, (after bust in

St Andrew Undershaft St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church (building), church in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is located on St Mary Axe, within the Aldgate ward, and is a rare example of a City church ...

* Sir John Crosby, Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate Street * Birth of Venus * Dean Andrews (minister), St Nicolas Church,

Great Bookham Great Bookham is a village in the Mole Valley district, in Surrey, England, one of six semi-urban spring line settlements between the towns of Leatherhead and Guildford. With the narrow strip parish of Little Bookham, it forms part of the Sax ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

* The ‘Four Seasons’, Goldsmiths’ Hall, City of London, grand staircase * Rev. William Rodber, St Mary-at-Hill * William Johnson Rodber,

St Mary-at-Hill St Mary-at-Hill is a Church of England parish church in the Ward of Billingsgate, City of London. It is situated on Lovat Lane, a cobbled street off Eastcheap. It was founded in the 12th century as "St Mary de Hull" or "St Mary de la Hulle". It ...

(1843) * Richard Johnston Rodber * Rev. William Parker,

St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on Bishopsgate near Liverpool Street station. One of the few surviving medieval City churches in London, the foundation date of the church is ...

*Thomas Reynolds,

Boxmoor Boxmoor is part of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. It is within the district of Dacorum and comprises mainly 19th-century housing and meadowland, with transport links from London to the Midlands. At the 2011 Census, the population of Boxmoor ...

, Herts *Samuel Whiteway,

Kingsteignton Kingsteignton ( ), is a town and civil parish in south Devon, England. It lies at the head of the Teign Estuary to the west of Teignmouth in the Teignbridge district. It is bypassed by the A380 and is also on the A383, A381, B3193 and B31 ...

, Devon * A relief bust of

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

, Sotheby Olympia, 25 April 2002; private coll *

Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radicals (UK), Radical and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician, manufacturing, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti–Corn Law L ...

, Bronze statuette after S. Nixon.

Marshall Library of Economics The Marshall Library of Economics is a library of the University of Cambridge, England. History The library is the outgrowth of a Moral Sciences Library begun in 1885 by Professor Alfred Marshall and Professor Henry Sidgwick, consisting largel ...

, Cambridge. (1846) * George Wynch,

Pett Pett is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. The village is located north-east of Hastings on the edge of Pett Level, the one-time marshes stretching along the coast of Rye Bay. The road through the vill ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

(1836) * The Gillespie Monument, St. John's Wood Chapel * Philip Lucas (minister),

Hackney (parish) Hackney was a parish in the historic county of Middlesex. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney was built in 1792, replacing the nearby former 16th-century parish church dedicated to St Augustine (pulled down in 1798). The original tower o ...

(1830) *Revd.

George Avery Hatch George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorg ...

St Vedast Foster Lane Saint Vedast Foster Lane or Saint Vedast-alias-Foster, a church in Foster Lane, in the City of London, is dedicated to Vedast, St. Vedast (Foster is an Anglicisation of the name "Vaast", as the saint is known in continental Europe), a French sain ...

(1837) *Martha Hatch, daughter of Henry Emlyn of Windsor”, St Vedast Foster Lane *John Marshall, St. Leonard's, Shoreditch *Design for the principal door of the

, illustrating scenes from the life of

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

Links

Samuel Nixon – A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain, 1660–1851

Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 41

References