Information about Cecil Thomas

Cecil Walter Thomas, OBE FRBS was born in London, into a family of artists and craftsmen. His father, John Thomas, was a seal and gem engraver, and Cecil apprenticed in his father's workshop from a young age. He continued working there while studying at the Slade School of Fine Art, Heatherley School of Fine Art, and the Central School of Arts and Crafts.

Thomas began his career specialising in gem engraving, receiving commissions internationally, including from the House of Fabergé. His early work in cameo portraits led him to an interest in medals and coins, and he was one of the few artists to engrave directly into the die. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy from 1909 and at the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers, becoming an associate in 1914 and a fellow in 1915. He also exhibited at major galleries in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Paris, and the United States.

During World War I, Thomas served as a staff officer and later in military intelligence, using his modeling skills to create sand models for strategic planning. He was seriously wounded and, after recovering, returned to his artistic pursuits. In World War II, he volunteered for the Royal Air Force, working in the model-making section at RAF Medmenham, where he interpreted aerial photographs into terrain models.

Cecil Thomas created many private memorials and funerary bronze effigies, several of which are displayed in prominent churches such as All Hallows-by-the-Tower in London and Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle, New South Wales. He also sculpted effigies of public figures and designed war memorials, including for the St John Ambulance Brigade.

As a medallist, Thomas was regularly commissioned by the Royal Mint. He won the competition to design the new coinage for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. His crowned effigy of the Queen appeared on Commonwealth coinage in places such as the West Indies, Fiji, Hong Kong, Mauritius, and Nigeria. He also designed the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal and the Queen's Service Medal (New Zealand).

Cecil Thomas married Dora Pearson in 1930, and after her death in 1967, he established the Dora Charitable Trust in her memory, dedicated to advancing British sculpture. He was Master of the Art Workers Guild in 1946 and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1953. Thomas continued to accept commissions for medals, bronzes, and public sculptures into his later years, including two Peter Pan statues in New Zealand.

Cecil Walter Thomas died in 1976 at the age of 91, leaving a significant legacy in British sculpture, medallic art, and coin design.