Biography
orn in Ludlow, Shropshire, Adrian Jones was enouraged to follow in his father's footsteps and take up veterinary science, studying at the Royal Veterinary College, then joining the army as a veterinary officer. He served until 1890, when he retired with the rank of Captain (Chilvers 349). Only after that did he have time to commit himself to his artistic interests, especially sculpture, which he had taken up a little less than ten years previously. Not unexpectedly, he proved particularly adept at statues and reliefs involving horses, and this made him a good choice for war memorials involving cavalry. He was successfully nominated for the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1912 by William Goscombe John, and was also proud to be made a life member of the Arts, the Chelsea Arts, and the Savage clubs (Jones 70). But he was never elected to the Royal Academy, despite excellent backing from the likes of George Frampton and Frederick Pomeroy and others (the list can be seen at the Mapping Sculpture website). Easily his best known and most impressive work is the great quadriga, The Angel of Peace Descending on the Chariot of WarPeace, on the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. Married with one son, Jones lived a long life, dying at the age of 92 at his family home in Chelsea. — JB.
Works
Photograph by GPL [click on this for more information].
Bibliography
"Captain (Alfred) Adrian Jones." Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951. University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011. Web. 6 September 2026.
Chilvers, Ian, and John Glaves-Smith. A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Jones, Adrian. Memoirs of a Soldier Artist. London: Stanley Paul & Co. Ltd., 1933.
Created 28 August 2011
New biogrpahy added 6 September 2026