John Bell was born in Norfolk.

He was frequently commissioned to make public monuments, including part of the Albert Memorial. One of the works that made his name was Babes in the Wood, which is already in the Norwich Castle collections, together with contemporary versions of some of his other works copied in Parian porcelain by the Minton factory. This statue is very similar to the one commissioned as a drinking fountain for Kew Gardens by the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association, which was founded by the Norfolk MP and philanthropist Samuel Gurney.

Provenance

Family of the artist since 1865.


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