Patrick MacDowell (1799 - 1870): Sculptor
Patrick McDowell was born in Belfast and was educated at a school run by Hugh Gordon who was an engraver. When his mother moved to London, he was apprenticed to a coach-builder there. He was taught how to draw and sculpt by Peter Francis Chenu, a French sculptor with whom he lodged. The work which first brought him to public attention was his statue 'The Girl Reading'. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822 and was commissioned to execute statues of Pitt the Elder and Pitt the Younger, Lord Belfast for the city of Belfast, and Viscount Fitzgibbon for Limerick. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1846, and his last piece of sculpture was 'Europa', commissioned for the Albert Memorial, London. He died in London.
Born: |
29 August 1799 |
Died: |
9 December 1870 |
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