Originally published in 1851, partly with the aim of correcting certain mistakes in painter George Jones's 1849 tribute (also reissued in this series), this work commemorates Norton-born sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey (1781–1841), whose illustrious career began in nearby Sheffield. His most celebrated works include The Sleeping Children in Lichfield Cathedral, his statue of James Watt, and his busts of Sir Walter Scott and John Horne Tooke. An enthusiast for his country's art, Chantrey left a generous bequest to the Royal Academy which allowed for the purchase of numerous works of British art, now held by the Tate. The author John Holland (1794–1872), himself a Sheffield man, wrote with a passion for local history and topography. Here, his delight in the 'absolutely or comparatively trivial' lends a curious local slant to his delineation of the sculptor's background, entry into the profession, later working life and burial back in Norton.
