The Sailor King
By SEBERS, L. , 1844
£2,000
BUY

Statue of King William the Fourth Erected by the Corporation of the City of London in King William Street.

British Isles London
  • Author: SEBERS, L.
  • Publication place: London,
  • Publisher: Printed by M & N Hanhart,
  • Publication date: [1844-45].
  • Physical description: Tinted lithograph, printed in three colours and finished by hand, heightened in gum Arabic.
  • Dimensions: Image: 605 by 514mm. (23.75 by 20.25 inches) Sheet: 740 by 550mm. (29.25 by 21.75 inches).
  • Inventory reference: 12326

Notes

A print showing the statue of William IV erected in December 1844 on a street also named after the monarch, as it was built during this reign. The statue was commissioned by the Corporation of the City of London, and carved by Samuel Nixon, a now relatively unknown sculptor from a family of glass painters and sculptors.

It shows William in the uniform of the Lord High Admiral, an office he gained in 1827, three years before he became king. William entered the navy at the age of 14 and found his calling; he acted as best man to Admiral Nelson. He was known as the Sailor King, which is why the Corporation chose to honour him in this way. Fittingly, the statue is now in Greenwich, where it was moved to make room for a pedestrian subway in 1933, presented to HM Office of Works by the Corporation in 1937.

Bibliography

  1. London Metropolitan Archives La.Pr.335/KIN(1).

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