Edward Virginius Valentine (November 12, 1838 – October 19, 1930) was an American sculptor from Richmond, Virginia.
Early life and education Edward Virginius Valentine was born on November 12, 1838, in Richmond, Virginia, to Elizabeth (née Mosby) and Mann Satterwhite Valentine. In 1853, he attended the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City where he saw August Kiss's Amazon Attacked by a Panther sculpture exhibited. The sculpture influenced Valentine to pursue a career in drawing and modeling. At the age of 18, he attended the Medical College of Virginia and he took anatomical studies and drew from plaster casts. In September 1859, he sailed to Europe. He studied in Paris with Thomas Couture and François Jouffroy, in Florence, Italy, under Bonanti, and with August Kiss in Berlin. He received a Doctor of Laws from Washington and Lee University.
Career
In 1865, Valentine returned to Richmond and opened a studio.
He briefly headed the Valentine Richmond History Center, which was founded by his brother, Mann S. Valentine Jr. The Wickham-Valentine House, part of the Valentine Museum in Richmond is on the National Register of Historic Places and was named for him and his brother.
Personal life Valentine married Alice Churchill Robinson on November 12, 1872. She died in 1883. He married Katherine Cole (née Friend) Mayo in 1892. She died in 1927. They had no children. Valentine was friends with French artist Charles Hoffbauer.
Valentine died on October 19, 1930, at his home in Richmond, Virginia. He was buried at Hollywood Cemetery.
Works Recumbent Lee, marble, Lexington, Virginia, 1875 Stonewall Jackson Monument, bronze. Lexington Virginia, 1891 Matthew Fontaine Maury bronze, 1869 Statue of Williams Carter Wickham, bronze. Monroe Park, Richmond, Virginia, 1891, toppled June 2020 General Hugh Mercer Monument, Washington Avenue Historic District, 1906 Robert E. Lee, Virginia Museum of History & Culture of the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, 1909. It was removed from the United States Capitol, Washington D.C. in 2020. Thomas Jefferson, marble, Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, Virginia, 1894 Andromache and Astyanax, Richmond, Virginia Jefferson Davis Memorial, bronze, Richmond, Virginia, 1907, and New Orleans, Louisiana, 1911 John James Audubon, bronze, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1910
References
Cocke, Edward J., Monumental New Orleans, LaFayette Publishers, New Orleans, 1968 Opitz, Glenn B, Editor, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie, NY, 1986 Edward Virginius Valentine Sculpture Studio Timeline
External links