Biography

Photographer: Ralph W. Robertson. c. 1887.

Born in Worcester on 1 March 1847. Apprentice modeller at Worcester Royal Porcelain Works 1859-66. Entered studio of J.H.Foley in 1866 and enrolled in R.A. Schools in 1868, winning Gold Medal for Hercules strangling Antaeus the following year. This attracted the interest of Frederic Leighton, who became Brock's friend and mentor. Appointed as Foley's chief assistant in 1871, he completed many unfinished works after Foley's death in 1874 e.g. the bronze figure of the Prince Consort for the Albert Memorial, and the O'Connell Monument in Dublin.

His works include Moment of Peril, 1881 (purchased by the Chantrey Fund); the Leighton Memorial at St Paul's Cathedral, 1902; equestrian statues of the Black Prince in Leeds, 1902 and of King Edward VII in both Sydney and Toronto, 1922; and the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, 1911-24. His portrait statues include those of Sir John Millais in the grounds of the Tate Gallery, 1905; Sir Henry Irving on the north side of the National Portrait Gallery, 1910; and Captain Cook in the Mall, 1914. His Diploma bust of Lord Leighton is in the R.A. and he designed the "veiled head" of Queen Victoria for the 1893 coinage. [Brock's European travels]

A.R.A. 1883, R.A. 1891, K.C.B. 1911. [British Sculpture, 1850-1914 with additions” by John Sankey]

Works for which this site has images and discussions — Portraits and Monuments

Works for which this site has images and discussions — Literary, Biblical, and Other Subjects

Works for which this site has images and discussions — Architectural sculpture

Works for which this site has images and discussions — Medals and Coinage

Works with no photographs on this site

Link to a talk (offsite)

Bibliography

Beattie, Susan. The New Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.

British Sculpture, 1850-1914. Exhibition catalogue, The Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street London Wl. 30th September - 30th October 1968.

Byron, Arthur. London Statues. London: Constable, 1921.

Brock, Frederick. Thomas Brock: Forgotten Sculptor of the Victoria Memorial. Ed. John Sankey. Bloomington, IN.: Ian Thompson/Author House, 2012. [review” by Jacqueline Banerjee].

Getsy, David. Body Doubles: Sculpture in Britain, 1877-1905. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.

Read, Benedict. Victorian Sculpture,. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982.

Sankey, John. Thomas Brock and the Critics — An Examination of Brock's Place in the New Sculpture Movement. PhD Thesis, University of Leeds, 2002.

Ward-Jackson, Philip. Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster. Volume 1. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2011. [Review” by John Sankey]


Last modified 20 May 2021