
Musée No:737.193
Regular price £25.00Architectural Design, probably for a Church
Artist: Alfred Stevens
Date: 1817 - 1875
Alfred Stevens was born in Dorset in 1817. In 1833 he went to study in Italy, nine years studying all over the country including Florence where he studied for a time at the Accademia di Belle Arti. Stevens never attended an English school. In 1845, Stevens obtained a tutorial position in the School of Design at Somerset House, London, where he remained until 1847. In 1850 he became chief artist to a Sheffield metal work firm who specialised in bronze. He returned to London in 1852. In 1856, Stevens took part in the competition for the Wellington monument, originally intended to be set up under one of the great arches of St Paul's Cathedral, although it took a further 36 years to get it placed in the originally chosen spot after several years in a side chapel. Stevens devoted most of his career to this grand monument, constantly harassed and finally worn out by the interference of government, want of money and other difficulties. Sadly, he did not live to see the monument set up.
Not to be confused with the Belgian painter known for his paintings of elegant modern women, Alfred Emile Leopold Stevens (1823-1906).