Lancelot "Capability" Brown Sculpture A new tribute project by sculptor Laury Dizengremel With the assistance of architect, garden designer and writer Mr. Richard Jackson of the Hammersmith Society, London ![]() ![]() Above: Cast in lost-wax bronze, shown first in its permanent location on Distillery Wharf along the Thames Walk in Hammersmith and before that shown during an exhibition at Doddington Hall, the first-ever lifesize full figure of Lancelot 'Capability Brown Please view below the funding appeal video for a historic sculpture of Brown which was completed in clay in January 2016 for an unveiling in Spring 2017 - the year following the 300th anniversary of his birth - also shown above in bronze. A description of part of our fundraising efforts is available on this crowdfunding page which has now expired but still lists the details of mementos on offer. Background info: As artist-in-residence at Belvoir Castle (East Midlands, England) I was privileged to see a plan by 'Capability' Brown for Belvoir (which had been lost) recovered by the Duchess of Rutland and brought back to life in 2014-2015... To celebrate the Tercentenary of his birth in 2016 I decided to look for funding and create a fitting memorial statue to the 18th century landscape architect and gardening genius that was Brown. This fitted in with the whole concept of the Brown Festival which was endowed with a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to build knowledge about Brown and his legacy. I was put in touch with Richard Jackson who had launched a project two years ago to put up a statue of Brown in the West of London where Brown lived for 13 productive years after his period at Stowe. Raising the funds for this sculpture was key. Your donation were therefore vital. The other parallel strand of this project was research: I consulted the eminent landscape historian and leading expert on Brown, John Phibbs, as well as the archivist at Belvoir Castlle, Peter Foden, besides spending hours reading about Brown on the internet. Richard Jackson, the landscape and garden designer gave me invaluable help and advice. UPDATE: 13/01/2016 This was the lifesize sculpture in clay of Lancelot "Capability" Brown a few days before I completed it on 6 January 2016. At that time we required further funds to cast this in lost-wax bronze, then deliver and install it a public artwork for London. The likeness is based on a painting by Cosway. The 'Brown Advisor' - historian John Phibbs had this to say about this sculpture: "I think it's very good - fantastic in fact. I hope you can raise the necessary to have it cast and set up. It's a terrific lot of hard work on your part." And Ms. Gilly Drummond the Chairwoman of the Brown Tercentenary Festival commented: "It is so beautifully done and I am so thrilled that you, Laury, chose to use the Cosway portrait and to sculpt a working landscape gardener! It is brilliant." ![]() Below... a digital sketch I made in the Autumn of 2015 based on a painting of Lancelot "Capability" Brown by Cosway - not a sculpture, not a relief... just part of my research process at the time to visualise in monochrome and sketch fashion what the man looked like. ![]() Brown
deserved a
lasting tribute. All donors were thanked.
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