Ernest Fuller Fabian RWA
Born 1867
Died 11 April 1931
Active: 1886 - 1931
Country of birth and death: England
Sculptor, teacher of modelling
Born in Winchester, Hampshire. He was the son of Josiah Fabian (born c.1830 in Hilsea, Hampshire), who ran a successful business as an ironmonger in Winchester. Ernest began his studies at the local art school and learned wood carving (possibly serving an apprenticeship) with a local craftsman named Mr. Thomas.
Fabian then studied at the South Kensington School of Art (National Art Training School) and held a National Scholarship between 1889 and 1890. During this time In his final summer of study, he assisted (together with Michael Murphy) in a special summer course led by Edouard Lanteri to train fifty teachers from art schools around Britain in clay modelling. The report written by Felix Martin Miller (who was Provisional Superintendent of the class) on 13 August 1888 said that 'Messrs. M. Murphy and E. Fabian, two of the most efficient students of the modelling class...were retained to instruct the class the way [sic] to construct the interior framework necessary to support a clay figure (as many had never modelled before), and to assist in teaching on the alternate days of Mr. Lanteri's attendance.'
Ernest lived in London with his brothers and sisters around 1891 when he was working as an assistant to Mr. Simpson. He moved to Bristol c.1892 and became the modelling master at the Municipal School of Art in Bristol. Fabian is said to have held this post for thirty-seven years until 1929, when ill health forced him to resign.
He exhibited regularly at the Royal West of England Academy and executed a number of commissions. These included a number of works for Bristol Cathedral, and a bronze model of Ernest Board's 'Sailing of Cabot' for the gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to the Western Daily Press, Friday 19 June 1925 he was the designer and modeller of 'The Nine Muses' situated above the Queen's Road entrance to the Wills Memorial Tower, University of Bristol. This was a collaboration with the sculptor, George A. Giblett of Sydenham Road, Knowle, who was a student of Fabian's at Bristol Municipal School of Art.
Fabian was a long-standing member of the Bristol Savages, an artists' club, which was founded in 1894 by Ernest Ehlers and still continues. He was elected a life member in 1912. Fabian gave the tribe several works, including the President's Chain of Office, a statuette of a rugby player, the Savages' Golf Trophy and a classically designed plaque for the Bongie Portfolio. In April 1931 he died in Bristol after a long illness.
On Saturday 18 December 1886, the 'Hampshire Advertiser' carried the following article about Fabian's early career entitled 'Success of a Townsman at South Kensington':
'With very much pleasure we notice the onward and upward course in art of our young townsman, Mr Ernest Fabian, son of our respected fellow citizen, Mr J Fabian. With a love of artistic pursuits and an energy which assures success, he has profited by the instruction of our local School of Art [Winchester], under its able chief, Mr Roberts, and under wood carving, that clever local Gibbons, Mr Thomas. Mr Fabian gained a good foundation, and gave an earnest of success in several good works in wood, and a charming bust of one of his sisters, in plaster, in which he has caught the natural attractions and expressions of the "model". Proceeding to that university of art, South Kensington, he has now matriculated in honours, having gained a free studentship over five other competitors in a six days competition of modelling from a classical subject, viz "The head of the laughing Faun", one of the choicest treasures of the Townley collection in the British Museum. This humorous and grotesque demi-god is reproduced by Mr Fabian with remarkable faithfulness, and although the head only is the "study", we can imagine the joyous figure in its tiger-skin dress and its mouth-organ or Pandean pipe in its hand ready to "tune up". The hearty laughter, the strongly-marked features, and the details, both anatomically and grotesque, of the face, forehead and neck, and the life-like expression, are reproduced in clay with the artistic ability and happy effect, and well deserve the honour gained by our young artist, whose work, both as to his sister’s bust, and that of the Faun, are on view at Mr Fabian’s artistic shop. His son has carved many examples of good work in that art which is so great an attraction at Chatsworth, and his ink dish and stand, purchased by Mr C. Wooldridge, is a recent success in the art of Gibbons and other wood artists. This article consists of a square base, resting on supports. In the angles of the upper surface are beautifully carved the mitre of the bishop, the two "W’s" of William of Wykeham, the loops of the letters formed like the crook of the pastoral staff of the bishop. They are the arms of Wykeham and those of the see of Winton. The minor details of the design are beautifully worked out by the chisel and lathe, and the oak, cut from a Cathedral beam some centuries old is essentially "a thing of beauty" and so is the metal dish for the ink. This is in wrought iron, with a Tudor Rose on its lid, and with entwined serpents, typical of the wisdom of a man of law. Mr Fabian is at home evidently, whether he works in clay, wood or metal, and we may hop all three materials may turn to gold in his hands, guided by his artistic talent.'
This entry includes information provided by Alison Fabian, who submitted the article from the 'Hampshire Advertiser' and drew attention to the details of Fabian's career by Cecil Broome on the Bristol Savages website: http://www.bristol-savages.org/past-artists/47.html (accessed 13 February 2013). The details of the class held in 1888 comes from the 36th Annual Report of the Department of Science and Art, 1889, p. 211.
Wealth at death: £2,913 15s. 6d.
Probate date: 6 May 1931
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
A Portrait Study
1907 (Presumed)
Hero and Leander
1908 (Presumed)
£5
Repose
1908 (Presumed)
£6 10s.
Harry Fedden, Esq.
1918 (Presumed)
John
1921 (Presumed)
Spring
1921 (Presumed)
£63
Locations
Address 81 High Street Winchester England | View on map
1881 (Circa)
Address 61 Walham Grove Fulham London England | View on map
1889 (Circa)
Address 64 Ladbroke Grove Road Kensington London W England | View on map
1891 (Circa)
Address 31 Alexandra Park Westbury Bristol England | View on map
1901 (Circa)
Address 3 Devonshire Road Westbury Park Bristol England | View on map
1907 (Circa) - 1908
Address 48 Downs Park East Westbury on Trym Bristol England | View on map
1911 (Circa)
Address 15 Florence Park Redland Bristol England | View on map
1918 (Circa) - 1921
Address 96 Coldharbour Road Redland Bristol England | View on map
1931
Living at this address at the time of his death
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Competition to design and build Glamorgan County Hall (Cardiff), 1908
'Hero and Leander'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1889
Exhibited once, one work "My night of life hath yet some memory", head, cat. no. 2142
Exhibited at Exhibition of the Bristol Academy, Annual Spring Exhibition for the Promotion of the Fine Arts, The Sixty-Second, 1907
1907
Exhibited at Exhibition of the Bristol Academy, Annual Spring Exhibition for the Promotion of the Fine Arts, The Sixty-Third, 1908
1908
Exhibited at The Seventy-Third Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1918
1918
Exhibited at The Seventy-Sixth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1921
1921
Institutional and Business Connections
Invited to join Royal Society of British Sculptors
2 March 1905 - 3 April 1905
Amongst the suggested second wave of those invited to join 'without further nomination' [2 March 1905, Royal Society of British Sculptors, Minutes of Council Meetings, Vol.I]: but name removed from list following further discussion at next meeting [3 April 1905, Royal Society of British Sculptors, Minutes of Council Meetings, Vol.I].
Professional member of The Royal West of England Academy
1910 (Circa) - 1930
Listed as Professional Member 'Sculpture'
Personal and Professional Connections
Assisted Edouard Lanteri
1888
As students at the National Art Training School Ernest Fuller and Michael Murphy helped run a summer course to teach teachers from art schools around Britain the art of clay modelling. The course was led by Edouard Lanteri and superintended by Felix Martin Miller.
Collaborated with George Augustus Giblett
1925 (Circa)
According to the Western Daily Press, Friday 19 June 1925 George Giblett sculpted 'The Nine Muses' situated above the Queen's Road entrance to the Wills Memorial Tower, University of Bristol which were designed and modelled by Ernest Fuller Fabian. The same article states that Giblett and Fabian also collaborated on St Monica and St Augustine for the St Monica Home on the Downs, Bristol.
Sister/sibling of Cecil Thomas Fabian
Ernest Fuller was the older brother of Cecil Thomas
Teacher to George Augustus Giblett
Fabian taught Giblett at Bristol Municipal School of Art
Worked with Michael Murphy
1888
As students at the National Art Training School Fuller and Murphy helped run a summer course to teach teachers from art schools around Britain the art of clay modelling. The course was led by Edouard Lanteri and superintended by Felix Martin Miller.
Descriptions of Practice
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
'Artist Sculp' and a brother, Cecil T Fabian (born c.1874 in Winchester) 'Art Student'
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
'Art Master [overwritten 'School']. (Modeling)' working on own account
Occupation given in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
'Art Master. City of Bristol Municipal School of Art'
Sources
Catalogue for the Eighty-First Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1926
1926
Catalogue for the Eighty-Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1929
1929
Catalogue for the Seventy-Fifth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1920
1920
Catalogue for the Seventy-Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1919
1919
Catalogue for the Seventy-Ninth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1924
1924
Catalogue for the Seventy-Seventh Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1922
1922
Catalogue for the Seventy-Sixth Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1921
1921
Catalogue for the Seventy-Third Annual Exhibition of the Royal West of England Academy, 1918
1918
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881
2004
Class: RG11; Piece: 1231; Folio: 111; Page: 6; GSU roll: 1341301
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891
2004
Class: RG12; Piece: 24; Folio: 143; Page: 5; GSU roll: 6095134
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901
2005
Class: RG13; Piece: 2370; Folio: 15; Page: 21
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
2011
RG14PN15095 RG78PN909 RD319 SD9 ED3 SN119
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2007
2007
Name: Ernest F Fabian
Birth Date: abt 1867
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1931
Age at Death: 64
Registration district: Bristol
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 193
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
2006
Name: Ernest Fuller Fabian
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1867
Registration district: Winchester
Inferred County: Hampshire
Volume: 2c
Page: 107
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: Ernest Fuller Fabian
Probate Date: 6 May 1931
Death Date: 11 Apr 1931
Death Place: Bristol, England
Registry: Bristol
Royal Society of British Sculptors. Minutes of Council Meetings No. 1, 1905-1913
19 May 1913
2 March 1905; 3 April 1905.
Citing this record
'Ernest Fuller Fabian RWA', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib1_1218544477, accessed 26 Sep 2023]