Details of Sculptor

Surname

Cumberworth

Alternative Surname

First Name

M

Initial of Surname

C

Year of Birth/Baptism

Flourished

Year of Death

1852

Biographical Details

Born in America, the son of an English officer and a Frenchwoman, he was taken to Paris as an infant and later studied sculpture there under the Swiss sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852). He appears to have lived in Paris throughout his life. In 1842 or 1843 he won from the Paris Academy the prize which would have enabled him to study in Rome, but on the eve of his departure it was discovered that he was not a Frenchman, and therefore not eligible for the award.
As the son of an Englishman, Cumberworth decided to send work to the Royal Academy in London in 1846, but unfortunately his group, Paul and Virginia (1), arrived two days after the official receiving date and could not be accepted. It was, however, later reproduced in parianware by Copeland and a large number of copies were sold. The Art Union reproduced the work to demonstrate the potential of the material to express the emotions and the educational benefits of reproducing art in affordable multiples. The Art Journal announced Cumberworth’s death in Paris in 1852. They described him as ‘a young and promising sculptor’, known in England for his models for Copeland. His works, they added ‘indicate pure taste and true talent combined with originality’ (AJ 1852, 316).
Literary References: AU 1846, 299; Gunnis 1968, 118