Charles Francis Summers

Charles Francis Summers
Born1858
Richmond, Victoria, Australia
Died1945 (aged 86–87)
Fitzroy North, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Known forSculpture

Charles Francis Summers (1858-1945)[1] was an Australian sculptor.[2] The son of the British-born sculptor Charles Summers, he worked mainly in Rome, travelling back and forth to Australia to sell his pieces.

Career

Summers lived in Rome for thirty years, studying sculpture under his father, and drawing with Italian painter Ludovico Seitz.[3]

In Melbourne, he had a studio in the Grosvenor Chambers,[4] and later, in Jolimont.[3][5] He was amongst the first to quarry marble in Victoria, in the area of Benambra.[6][5]

Works

La Ballarina

A selection of Summers's works is preserved in the Art Museum of Rotorua, New Zealand.[7][8]

A number of Summers' sculptures including La Ballerina (c.1880s),[9] The Four Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) (c. 1870s),[10] and The Boxers[11] are situated in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Five of his sculptures (Flight From Pompeii, Modesty, Rebekah, Ruth, and Susannah) along with the pavilion in which they are housed are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and are located in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.[12] "The Shunammite Woman" and "An Episode of Pompeii"is held by the Bendigo Art Gallery.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Death Of Famous Sculptor". The Argus. 17 May 1945. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Summers' Sculptures". Rotorua Museum. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Arrival of a Sculptor From Rome". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 October 1900. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  4. ^ Age, 13 February 1901, p.5.
  5. ^ a b C.H.D. (11 September 1948). "Mountains of Marble". The Age. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  6. ^ Papers, ca. 1890-1927: Charles Francis Summers, State Library Victoria, retrieved 26 December 2020, Charles Francis Summers pioneered the quarrying of marble at Limestone Creek, Victoria.
  7. ^ Coen, Paolo (2020). Il recupero del Rinascimento: arte, politica e mercato nei primi decenni di Roma capitale (1870-1911). Silvana Editoriale. pp. 211–212. ISBN 978-88-366-4543-5.
  8. ^ Rankin, Elizabeth (2003). "From Rome to Rotorua: The Bathhouse Sculptures of Charles Francis Summers". Journal of New Zealand Art History. 24: 25–38.
  9. ^ Louise Schwartzkoff (24 July 2009). "On With Her Head: La Ballarina Gets a Makeover". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  10. ^ Tim Entwisle (19 October 2009). "Passion for plants - Remembering the Palace". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  11. ^ James Whitelock, Historic buildings and public sculpture in New South Wales - Photographs (no. 19. The Boxers, retrieved 4 December 2020
  12. ^ "Charles Francis Summers & Professor Benzoni - Flight From Pompeii". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Heritage Council Victoria. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Untitled". facebook.com. Bendigo Art Gallery. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2020.