Alexander Munro, a distinguished Scottish sculptor of the Victorian era, holds a significant place within the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Born in Inverness and the son of a stonemason, Munro displayed artistic talent from an early age. His abilities were recognised and fostered by the Duchess of Sutherland, his father’s employer, who provided financial assistance and facilitated his introduction to the architect Charles Barry.
Through Barry’s patronage, Munro was placed under the guidance of John Thomas and travelled to London to contribute to the sculptural decoration of the newly constructed Houses of Parliament. He subsequently enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools, where he formed lasting friendships with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais, two founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The ideals of the Brotherhood profoundly shaped Munro’s artistic outlook and practice.
Although his career promised much, Munro’s life was prematurely curtailed by lung disease, from which he died in 1871 at the age of forty-five. Despite this early death, his body of work played a notable role in shaping mid-nineteenth-century British sculpture, particularly in advancing the naturalistic and emotive tendencies central to the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. Between 1849 and 1870, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and also participated in the Great Exhibition of 1851. His most celebrated work, Paolo and Francesca (1851–1852), is frequently cited as the archetypal example of Pre-Raphaelite sculpture, praised for its refined modelling and poignant subject matter.
