This monument to William Temple (1881-1944) is in the east cloister walk of the Lambeth Palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury. William's father, Frederick Temple (1821-1902), was also Archbishop of Canterbury. William was the primate of the church of England for only two years before his death but had been Archbishop of York from 1929. He has been written of as a great moral force of his time particularly in his advocacy of social reform. The bust is one of the later works of Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959) who was born in New York but arrived in London from Paris in his 20's and took British citizenship. His early commissioned works had given rise to considerable controversy which is sometimes attributed to anti-Semitism. His later major pieces for Llandaff and Coventry Cathedrals were immediate successes but throughout his career he was particularly renowned for his portrait heads.

O/S Co-ords:3068.7906
Source(s):

Chambers Biographical Dictionary

The Buildings of England - London 2: South