It's a bit of a surprise to see John Flaxman up there on the exterior walls of The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He isn't exactly the best of all sculptors; and some of his stuff is a little 'obvious' even for the Neo-Classical period (IMHO).
However the V&A celebrates craftspeople too, so he may be being remembered for the spark he brought to the Wedgwood Pottery enterprise (here in Staffordshire) during the decade from 1775 when he was employed by the company.
For a long while, there was even a gallery in Stoke named after him - at the university. But it seems to have been wound down - almost to the point of disappearance.
Strangely, Flaxman didn't do much of his own carving, but, if you've got lots of assistants, as he did, why should you?
He looks imposing from here.
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