BOEHM

boehm, sir joseph edgar, bart. (1834-1890), british sculptor, was born of hungarian parentage on the 4th of july 1834 at vienna, where his father was director of the imperial mint. after studying the plastic art in italy and at paris, he worked for a few years as a medallist in his native city. after a further period of study in england, he was so successful as an exhibitor at the exhibition of 1862 that he determined to abandon the execution of coins and medals, and to give his mind to portrait busts and statuettes, chiefly equestrian. the colossal statue of queen victoria, executed in marble (1869) for windsor castle, and the monument of the duke of kent in st george's chapel, were his earliest great works, and so entirely to the taste of his royal patrons that he rose rapidly in favour with the court. he was made a.r.a. in 1878, and produced soon afterwards the statue of carlyle on the thames embankment at chelsea. in 1881 he was appointed sculptor in ordinary to the queen, and in the ensuing year became full academician. on the death of dean stanley, boehm was commissioned to execute his sarcophagus in westminster abbey, and his achievement, a recumbent statue, has been pronounced to be one of the best portraits in modern sculpture. less successful was his monument to general gordon in st paul's cathedral. he executed the equestrian statue of the duke of wellington at hyde park corner, and designed the coinage for the jubilee of queen victoria in 1887. among his ideal subjects should be noted the "herdsman and bull." he died suddenly in his studio at south kensington on the 12th of december 1890.