Reception
Flaxman's complicated monuments in the round, such as the three in Westminster Abbey and the four in St Paul's Cathedral, are considered too "heavy"; but his simple monuments in relief are of finer quality. He thoroughly understood relief, and it gave better scope for his particular talents. His compositions are best studied in the casts from his studio sketches, of which a comprehensive collection is preserved in the Flaxman gallery at University College, London. Going back to the rudiments and first conceptions of his art helps to realize the essential charm of his genius in the study, not of his modelled work at all, but of his sketches in pen and wash on paper. The principal public collections are at University College, in the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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