Woolner, THOMAS

Woolner, THOMAS, sculptor and poet, was born at Hadleigh in Suffolk, 17th December 1826, and was educated at private schools till he began his training as sculptor. 'Eleanor sucking the Poison from Prince Edward's Wound' (1863), 'The Death of Boadicea,' and 'Puck' attracted much attention, and were followed by 'Titania,' 'Eros,' 'The Rainbow.' He was closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, and contributed some poems to The Germ—poems which with others were published in a volume as My Beautiful Lady (5th ed. 1892). In 1862-64 he was in Australia; and on his return he rapidly rose to the front rank amongst English sculptors, grace and refinement being the notes of his work. Besides statues of Lord Bacon and William III., he executed statues or portrait busts of most of his famous contemporaries—Macaulay, Whewell, Palmerston, Cobden, Dickens, Kingsley, Carlyle, Darwin, Newman, Tennyson, Huxley, Gladstone, and many others. Other ideal works are 'Elaine,' 'Ophelia,' 'In Memoriam,' 'Virgil,' 'Guinevere,' 'Achilles and Pallas,' 'Lady Godiva Unrobing.' Made A.R.A. in 1871 and R.A. in 1874, he was professor of Sculpture to the Academy in 1877-79. Other poems were Pygmalion, Silenus, Tiresias, and Nelly Dale. He died 7th October 1892.