George Frampton

Sir George James Frampton, RA (1860-1928), 'The true Queen is on her Throne when her Realm is on her Lap', a bronze group, deep brown patination, signed in the maquette and dated 1904, 71cm high, 59cm wide Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1905, no. 1822; and at the International Exhibition, Dublin in 1907 (small group in plaster), no. 162.

LOT 75 - GEORGE JAMES FRAMPTON BRITISH, 1860 - 1928 ENID THE FAIR 8,000—12,000 GBP measurements measurements note overall: 55cm., 21 5/8 in. Description signed and dated: Geo Frampton 1907 and titled: "ENID THE FAIR" bronze, mid-brown patina on an ebonised wood base

monogrammed: GF and dated 1918 and inscribed with an encircled PP bronze, mid-brown patina, on veined green marble base CATALOGUE NOTE In 1911 an anonymous donor commissioned George Frampton to create a sculpture of Peter Pan to be placed on the very spot in Kensington gardens where the magical boy appears nightly in J M Barrie's Little White Bird of 1901, the first book in which the character appears. In fact the anonymous donor was the author himself. He had the bronze erected in secret on 29th and 30th 1912, so that it would seem to have magically appeared. Frampton exhibited the model at the Royal Academy in 1911. In writing his tales of Peter Pan J M Barrie was inspired by a family of boys - the Llewelyns. George Llewelyn was the inspiration for the character of Peter Pan, and Frampton used his brother Michael as the inspiration for his sculpture. In the full scale monument Peter Pan is lifted up on a swirling rock populated by fairies, bunny rabbits, squirrels and mice. He raises his pipe to his mouth and plays to the spirits of the children who play in the park. Frampton's sprightly Peter proved to be a perennially popular model and casts of the monument are to be found as far afield as Brussels, New Jersey, Toronto and Perth, Australia. Parts of the original plaster model are in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Following its immediate popular appeal, Frampton produced a bronze reduction of the main figure as an independent statuette. RELATED LITERATURE Read pp.315-317; Royal Academy Exhibitors, vol. II, p. 106; Bilbey & Trusted, pp. 266 & 267

Sir George James Frampton, R.A. (1860-1928) Peter Pan signed with monogram, inscribed and dated 'PP/1918' bronze with brown patina 20½ in. (52.1 cm.) high Lot Notes This is one of a series of reductions in bronze, cast between 1913 and 1925, though not in large numbers, of Frampton's famous statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. J.M. Barrie, the author of the play first performed in 1904, was responsible for the commission, and the public statue has a beguiling mixture of fairies, squirrels and mice running across its rocky base.

related literature: unveiled on 1 may 1912, the figure of peter from the statue was reused by frampton for an edition of bronze reductions. these appear to have been cast at different dates between 1913 and 1925, but not in large numbers. another cast, initialled and dated 1915, as is the present example, sold at sotheby's london, 5 july 2000 (lot 163). the creation of peter, first in the story the little white bird and from 1904 in the famous play, was so integral to kensington gardens that j.m. barrie himself was responsible for the commission of frampton's statue. barrie sent the sculptor pictures of michael llewellyn-davies, one of the five brothers who inspired the story, dressed as peter pan, although, it is said the writer felt the final representation lacked some of the devilment of the fictional character. on the public statue peter pan stands on top of a rocky mound holding his reed pipes in his left hand. swirling around the rock, frampton has created a magical cast of fairies, rabbits, squirrel and mice, guaranteed to beguile the stuffiest passer-by. many of the leading artists of the new sculpture movement, which dominated british sculptors during the last two decades of the nineteenth century, are best known by major public monuments in london. for alfred gilbert there is the innovative aluminium statue of eros at piccadilly circus, for thornycroft there is the ambitious monument to gladstone at aldwych and for drury there is the elegant figure of reynolds at burlington house. this observation certainly also holds true for george frampton whose bronze of peter pan in kensington gardens and has more than once been acknowledged london's most popular statue. the second version of the life size bronze stands in sefton park, liverpool. william lever, 1st viscount leverhulme, acquired from waring & gillow's 'exhibition of works by bsh sculptors' (invoice 3 february 1916, item 87), at st. james' square by 20 october 1920, and subsequently transferred to lever house (x.inv. x946, £60)