Statue

V&A façade - Gainsborough

Erection date: 1909

Inscription

T. Gainsborough

Site: Victoria & Albert Museum façade (38 memorials)

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road. This building was designed by Aston Webb and built 1899-1909. Each statue has the subject's name on a label beneath the feet and the sculptor's name inscribed in the wall of the niche to the right of the statue. Starting in Cromwell Road and reading right to left:

Group of 6 British architects:
Chas. Barry
W. Chambers
Chrisr. Wren
Inigo Jones
John Thorpe
Wykeham

Group of 5 British painters:
J. E. Millais
Ld. Leighton
G. F. Watts
J. Constable
J. M. W. Turner

And flanking the entrance:
Queen Alexandra (to the right)
King Edward VII (to the left)

Albert (below the arch)
Victoria (in the arch)

On either side of the arch, at eye level there is a foundation stone:
Stone laid by Edward VII (to the right)
Stone laid by Victoria (to the left)

Group of 5 British painters:
R. Cosway
G. Romney
T. Gainsborough
J. Reynolds
W. Hogarth

Group of 6 British sculptors:
Alfred Stevens
John H. Foley
F. L. Chantrey
John Flaxman
John Bacon
Grinlg. Gibbons

And around the corner in Exhibition Road:

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
William Morris
Roger Payne
J. Wedgwood
T. Chippendale
Thos. Tompion

Group of 5 British craftsmen:
Huntingn. Shaw
George Heriot
William Caxton
William Torel
St. Dunstan

Note that there are more Johns than women but that's not difficult since, excluding royalty, there are no women!

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Gainsborough

Subjects commemorated i

Thomas Gainsborough

Born Sudbury, Suffolk.

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Gainsborough

Created by i

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
V&A façade - Gainsborough

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Hotel Russell - Queen Elizabeth I

Hotel Russell - Queen Elizabeth I

WC1, Russell Square, 1-8

This ornate extravaganza, designed by the splendidly named Fitzroy Doll, was built in 1898. Ornamental Passions has a good post about the...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Tiruvalluvar

Tiruvalluvar

WC1, Thornhaugh Street, SOAS

The English text is preceded with a piece of text in a script we don't recognise and certainly can't type.

1 subject commemorated, 4 creators
Nicola Adams - steel statue

Nicola Adams - steel statue

N15, West Green Road, Downhills Park

{On the bench in front of the statues:} Plaque 1: The characters for this Portrait Bench chosen by your community celebrate Sustrans win...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Paddington Bear - statue, platform 1

Paddington Bear - statue, platform 1

W2, Paddington Station, Platform 1

Since arriving at Paddington Station from Peru this bear's journeys have not ceased. He's been moved around the station a few times and f...

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Charlie Chaplin - statue

Charlie Chaplin - statue

WC2, Leicester Square

Unveiled by Sir Ralph.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators