John Francis (sculptor)

Francis was born in Lincolnshire, and was intended to go into farming. He settled in London, where he became a pupil of Samuel Joseph and Francis Leggatt Chantrey.^[1] He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1820 a bust of Thomas William Coke, and another of Captain Sir William Bolton, R.N. At this period his residence was at Thornham, Norfolk. In 1822, when he sent to the Academy a bust of Horatia Nelson, he was living at 2 New Norfolk Street, Park Lane.

In 1844 he executed by command of Queen Victoria a marble bust of Albert, Prince Consort; this followed a commission a few years earlier for a bust of the Queen, which went to the hall of the Reform Club. About this period Francis moved to 56 Albany Street, Regent's Park.

He taught his daughter Mary,^[2] who married his pupil Thomas Thornycroft. Other pupils included Joseph Durham and Matthew Noble.^[1]

Francis died at his home in Albany Street, aged 80^[1] and is buried on the western side of Highgate Cemetery (plot no.3058).^[3]

Among his other works were:

• Bust of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of wellington at Apsley House (1818)
• Bust of Lord Holland at Holland House (1829)
• Statue of the Duke of Sutherland in Dornoch Cathedral (1843)
• posthumous bust of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1844);
• busts of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk (1844);
• bust in bronze of the Duke of Sussex (1847);
• marble bust of Lord John Russell, which went to the National Portrait Gallery (1848);
• a bronze medal of Eos, a favourite greyhound of Prince Albert (1848);
• marble bust of the Hon. Edward Petre (1848);
• four busts, in marble, of various members of the Eaton family (1851);
• posthumous bust of the Earl of Carlisle (1852);
• bust of the Duke of Wellington, which went to the National Portrait Gallery (1852);
• posthumous bust of the Hon. and Rev. James Norton (1854);
• bust of Vice-admiral Sir Charles Napier (1855);
• cabinet bust of the Right Hon. Earl of Aberdeen (1856).

• "Francis, John (1780-1861)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

• "Archival material relating to John Francis". UK National Archives.  
• White, Adam (2008). "Francis, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/10074. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Works by John Francis at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Attribution

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Francis, John (1780-1861)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.