Mary Grant (sculptor) facts for kids

Bust of an unknown child by Mary Grant, made in 1874.

Mary Grant (1831–1908) was a very important woman sculptor in Britain during the 1800s. She created many beautiful sculptures for famous and wealthy people.

Mary Grant's Early Life and Training

Reredos panel at the altar in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh.

Mary Grant was born in 1831 at Kilgraston House in Perthshire, Scotland. She came from a family that knew many important people. Her grandfather was Lord Elgin, who was famous for bringing ancient Greek sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, to Britain.

Her aunt and uncle, Mary Anne Grant and Sir Francis Grant, were both artists. Sir Francis Grant even became the President of the Royal Academy, a very famous art institution. Another uncle, General James Hope Grant, was a British military hero. These family connections helped Mary in the world of sculpture, which was mostly for men back then.

Mary started sculpting when she was in her twenties. She traveled to Florence, Italy, to learn from a skilled sculptor named Odoardo Fantacchiotti. Then, she went to Rome to study with John Gibson, another talented sculptor. After spending some time in Paris, she opened her own studio in London. There, she worked with the help of John Henry Foley.

From 1864 to 1877, Mary worked from her family home, Kilgraston House. Later, she moved her studio to London. She often worked with cast plaster, and a person named Fernando Meacci helped her with this process.

Mary Grant never married. She passed away in London on February 20, 1908.

Famous Sculptures by Mary Grant

Mary Grant created many important sculptures during her career. Here are some of her well-known works:

• A sculpture of Queen Victoria for the Rajah of Kapurthala.
• A memorial fountain for Henry Fawcett in London. He was a person who worked to give women the right to vote.
• Figures around the main entrance of Lichfield Cathedral.
• A bust (a sculpture of someone's head and shoulders) of Charles Stewart Parnell.
• A bust of the famous poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson.
• A bust of her uncle, Sir Francis Grant.
• A bust of Lady Augusta Stanley, who was a Lady in Waiting to Queen Victoria.
• A relief portrait (a sculpture that sticks out from a flat surface) of Henry Erskine.
• A memorial for Augusta Bruce in the New Abbey Church in Dunfermline.
• A special panel behind the altar (called a reredos) in St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh. This was designed by John Oldrid Scott, and Mary Grant sculpted it.
• Another reredos in a church in Kilburn, London.
• Sculpted figures on a screen inside Winchester Cathedral.

Images for kids

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  Bust of an unknown child by Mary Grant, 1874.

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  Reredos in St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh.