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Oscar Wilde's tomb
The tomb in May 2012
Artist	Jacob Epstein
Year	1912 (1912)
Medium	Hopton Wood stone
Location	Pére Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France
Coordinates	48°51′43″N 2°23′53″E / 48.861889°N 2.398139°E / 48.861889; 2.398139

Oscar Wilde's tomb is located in Paris, France. It took nine to ten months to complete by the sculptor Jacob Epstein, with an accompanying plinth by Charles Holden and an inscription carved by Joseph Cribb.. In 1908 Oscar Wilde's literary executor Robert Ross chose Epstein for the commission of Oscar Wilde's tomb in Pére Lachaise Cemetery at a cost of two thousand pounds, which had been anonymously donated for this purpose. Later, in a publication of letters between Ada Leverson and Wilde in 1930, Letters to the Sphinx the anonymous donor was revealed to be Helen Carew, with financial assistance from Sydney Schiff aka novelist Stephen Hudson. This was only Epstein's second commission, his first being the sculpture for the British Medical Association building in the strand, these had been severely criticised for being too sexualised for public consumption. However, Epstein retained some noteworthy supporters within the Wilde circle such as William Rothenstein..

The choice of Oscar Wilde's monument would create controversy as Wilde's supporters would like for Epstein to have derived from Wilde's work such as the Young King, making references to homoerotica and forlorn Greek youths, whereas Wilde's detractors believed he was deserving of no monument at all. One can see the influences from Wilde's works in the original sketches from Epstein for the tomb, having sketched two young men, heads downcast in an image of grief and sorrow upon an empty stone stele. However, saying of his previous sketches of the tomb "I was dissatisfied and scrapped quite completed work". .

A number of influences began to play on Epstein around this period, it has been simply suggested that Epstein began instead to focus on Wilde's poem The Sphinx 1984 . However, from looking deeper it can be seen that during the period that Epstein was working on the tomb he had a dramatic influence from fellow sculptor Eric Gill.. The two artists were deeply interested in Indian and Egyptian art which was far more primal and sexualised than that seen in Britain. This period in the Epstein's work is referred to by Pennington as the Sun Temple period and Pennington pursues the idea that having been unable to follow this path with some of his works in Britain, Epstein transferred his new passion onto the Wilde tomb..

The monument began as a 20 tonne block of Hopton Wood stone in England, unveiled to the London press in June 1912.. Epstein devised a vast winged figure, a messenger swiftly moving with vertical wings, giving the feeling of forward flight, the conception was purely symbolical, the conception of a poet as a messenger, but many people tried to read into it a portrait of Oscar Wilde..

In the original sketches the influences have been linked to the Winged Assyrian Bulls in the British Museum. The small angel figure behind the ear of the Sphinx may have been a deliberate reference by Epstein to the verse in Wilde's poem The Sphinx "sing me all your memories".. Upon the headress there are five figures, one with a crucifix, perhaps symbolising the martyrdom of Oscar Wilde, this may be a recurring theme, Epstein may have chosen the Sphinx with a crucified figure upon the headress in reference to the sensual life choice of Wilde thinly veiled by his Catholicism.. In Epstein's original sketchings there is a list of ten sins, however none are recognisable clearly on the final monument apart from the Egyptian like helmet haircuts on the ladies..

On the finished monument the small angel behind the ear has been removed and replaced by an elaborate headdress, the crucified figure and the phallic sphinx have been removed and in their place is a personification of fame being trumpeted.. This may have been Epstein landing on a less sentimental, carved and angular alternative .

Whilst transporting the monument to the cemetery in France from his Cheyne Walk studios in London, Epstein ran into trouble with the police, having rejected its status as a work of art, French customs placed a punishing import duty of £120 on the monument for the value of the stone. . Once the bill was paid, it has been suggested that Robert Ross had borrowed the funds from Ada Leverson, the monument was covered with tarpaulin due to the Parisian officials' reaction to the monuments nakedness. Epstein returned to the cemetery one evening and found that the testicles on the statue had been covered by plaster as the size of the testicles were considered unusual.. The monument was under police surveillance and Epstein found he could only continue his work upon it after bribing a police officer to look away, but the work was sporadic and the tarpaulin was replaced at night.. Eventually, as compromise, under Robert Ross' instruction a bronze plaque similar to the shape of butterfly was placed upon the testicles of the monument and it was unveiled in early August 1914 by poet Aleister Crowley. Epstein was furious that his work had been altered without his consent and refused to attend the unveiling.. A few weeks later Aleister Crowley approached Epstein in a cafe in Paris and around his neck was a bronze butterfly, he informed Epstein that his work was now on display as he intended..

Today the monument is viewed by thousands of visitors every year. In 2011 a glass barrier was erected to make the monument 'kiss proof'..

References

1. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0704901131.
2. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0704901131.
3. Cork, Richard (1999). Jacob Epstein. Tate Gallery Publishing LTD. p. 20. ISBN 978-0691029450.
4. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0704901131.
5. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0704901131.
6. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0704901131.
7. Haskell, Epstein (1931). The Sculptor Speaks. London William Heinemann LTD. p. 19.
8. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0704901131.
9. Cork, Richard (1999). Jacob Epstein. Tate Gallery Publishing LTD. p. 20. ISBN 978-0691029450.
10. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0704901131.
11. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0704901131.
12. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0704901131.
13. Haskell, Epstein (1931). The Sculptor Speaks. London William Heinemann LTD. p. 20.
14. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0704901131.
15. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0704901131.
16. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0704901131.
17. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0704901131.
18. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0704901131.
19. Cork, Richard (1999). Jacob Epstein. Tate Gallery Publishing LTD. p. 20. ISBN 978-0691029450.
20. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0704901131.
21. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0704901131.
22. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0704901131.
23. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0704901131.
24. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 54. ISBN 978-0704901131.
25. Pennington, Michael (1987). An Angel for a Martyr. Whitenights Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0704901131.
26. "Oscar Wilde's restored tomb is unveiled in Paris". BBC Online. Retrieved 2 May 2013.

• Tombs in France
• Jacob Epstein
• Oscar Wilde