John Birnie Philip
| John Birnie Philip | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 November 1824 London, England |
| Died | 2 March 1875 (aged 50) Chelsea, London, England |
| Resting place |
Brompton Cemetery 51°29′00″N 0°11′21″W / 51.483333°N 0.189167°WCoordinates: 51°29′00″N 0°11′21″W / 51.483333°N 0.189167°W |
| Education | Government School of Design, Somerset House |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Black (1853–1875) |
John Birnie Philip (23 November 1824 in London – 2 March 1875 in London) was a nineteenth-century English sculptor. Much of his work was carried out for the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.
He was born in London, the son of William and Elizabeth Philip. He studied at the Government School of Design at Somerset House in London under John Rogers Herbert, and then at Herbert's own newly-opened school in Maddox Street. He went on to work in Pugin's wood carving workshop at the Palace of Westminster before setting up his own studio.
Much of his work was carried out for the Gothic Revival architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. At St Michael, Cornhill, in the City of London, he carved the decorations for the porch built by Scott as part of his Gothic embellishment of Wren's church. They included an elaborate tympanum sculpture depicting St Michael disputing with Satan, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1858, his first work to be shown there. He did further carvings for the interior of the building. As part of Scott's restoration of St Mary's chapel at Sudeley Castle, Philip made a font and reredos, and a white marble effigy for the canopied tomb of Catherine Parr. The effigy was shown – unfinished – at the Royal Academy in 1859.
In 1863–64 Scott commissioned him, along with Henry Hugh Armstead (1828–1905), to make the podium frieze (known as the Frieze of Parnassus) on the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. Philip carved the images of architects (including Scott himself) on the west side of the monument, and those of the sculptors on the north. As well as his work on the frieze, he modelled the bronze allegorical statues of Geometry, Philosophy, Geology and Physiology for niches on the western side of the canopy, and the gilt metal angels on the spire. At the time of the commission, Philip and Armstead were little known compared to the other sculptors working on the memorial.
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