Henry Cheere William Adam, 1689 - 1748. Architect; father of Robert and John Adam About 1740

Biography

Born 1702
Died 1781
Nationality English
Birth place London
Death place London

Cheere was one of the most successful English-born sculptors of mid eighteenth century London. He began his career as an apprentice in 1718 with Robert Harsthorne the elder, before setting up his own workshop in Westminster in 1726. He quickly established a business that produced a broad range of sculpture, including busts, monuments and decorative carving. From 1733 to 1736, Cheere was the chosen sculptor for the University of Oxford, and, by the mid-1740s, he was challenging established sculptors Peter Scheemakers and Michael Rysbrack for supremacy. With his appointment as carver for Westminster Abbey in 1743, Cheere developed designs based on traditional forms with ornamental additions. He received a knighthood in 1761 and became a baronet in 1766.