William Theed the Younger - Summary

William Theed the Younger, sculptor, was born at Trentham, Staffordshire, England and was son of William Theed the Elder. After receiving intial instruction from his father, and working for several years in the studio of E. H. Bailey, Theed was admitted into the Royal Academy Schools in London, England on 15 January 1820. Between 1826 and 1844, Theed lived and worked in Rome, Italy. In 1845 Prince Albert, the prince consort, asked John Gibson (a friend of Theed's in Rome) to send designs for statues to be placed in Osborne House, Isle of Wight. Two designs by Theed were accepted.

In 1848 Theed returned to London and established a successful professional practice. Whilst Theed was responsible for a number of reliefs and busts his mainstay production lay in the field of portraiture. Such commissions included statues of James Wyatt, Sir Isaac Newton, and Edmund Burke.

Theed's biggest achievement was his group Africa, one of four allegories placed on the ourter corners of the Albert Memorial, Hyde Park, London.

Theed died on 9 September 1891 in Kensington, London.

Sources:

Greenwood, M., ‘Theed, William, the younger (1804–1891)’ in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004)  <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27162> [accessed
18 November 2007]