1755-1826. English Neo-Classical sculptor and
illustrator. From 1775 he worked for the
Wedgwood pottery as a designer. His public
works include the monuments of Nelson 1808-10
in St Paul's Cathedral, London, and of Burns
and Kemble in Westminster Abbey. Flaxman was
born in York and studied at the Royal Academy
in London. From 1787 to 1794 he was in Rome
directing the Wedgwood studio there. Apart
from designs for Wedgwood ware, he modelled
friezes on classical subjects and produced
relief portraits. In 1810 he became the first
professor of sculpture at the Royal Academy.