Monument to Sam Wilson by Edward Caldwell Spruce, Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds

Edward Caldwell Spruce (1865[1] – 7 June 1922) was an English sculptor and artist who mainly worked in Leeds.[2]

Biography

Spruce was born in Knutsford, Cheshire in the summer of 1865.[3][4] Between 1891 and 1893 he was a student at the Leeds College of Art where he also taught clay modelling.[3]

Spruce first worked at a local tile factory before moving to Burmantofts Pottery in Leeds, where he was principal modeller.[5] His work there includes some fine panels on the Midland Hotel, Manchester.[5] He went to Paris to study art and exhibited a piece called "The Blind Man" at the 1908 Salon.[6] He returned to Leeds to set up as a freelance artist with a studio in Chapeltown, Leeds.[4] In this he was successful, performing numerous portrait commissions of contemporarary figures including a bust of the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Sir James Kitson.[4][7] Between 1906 and 1915 he exhibited at least four works at the Royal Academy in London.[3] He also created the panels for the war memorial at Bailiff Bridge in West Yorkshire.[3] Possibly Spruce's best known work is the 1918 large multi-figure memorial to the Leeds businessman Sam Wilson at Lawnswood Cemetery in Leeds. The monument is recognised by Historic England with a Grade II listing.[8]

Spruce was also a noted member of the Leeds branch of the Savage Club, becoming its "Indian Chief" (i.e. president) in 1912.[4] He died in 1922 in Leeds.[4][7]

References

  1. ↑ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
  2. ↑ "A Leeds Sculptor. Death of Mr". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 9 June 1922. p. 19. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 University of Glasgow History of Art / HATII (2011). "Edward Caldwell Spruce". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain & Ireland 1851–1951. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Oak Leaves part 9, Autumn 2009 Edward Caldwell Spruce (1866-1922) and the Savage Club.
  5. 1 2 Burmantofts Pottery (1983) Bradford Art Gallery & Museums and Leeds City Museum p15
  6. ↑ Catalogue Illustré. de Peinture et Sculpture. Salon de 1908. Societe des Artistes Francais
  7. 1 2 James Mackay (1977). The Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 0902028553.
  8. ↑ Historic England. "Memorial and grave of Sam Wilson at NGR 2678 3909 (1375324)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
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