Sculptor. Thomas was the son of a surveyor who was the land steward to the Duke of Beaufort, he was born in London. Thomas was taught drawing by his father, and in 1750 was apprenticed to a woodcarver. In 1772 he obtained a travelling studentship given by the Royal Academy and proceeded to Rome. He returned to England in 1779, he found the taste for classic poetry, ever the source of his inspiration, no longer existed, and he spent two years in Saint Petersburg, being employed by the empress Catherine the Great, who purchased his Cupid Tormenting a Butterfly. He was elected, in 1784, an associate of the Royal Academy and in the following year a full member. Thomas’s best-known work is considered to be the colossal group of Shakespeare Attended by Painting and Poetry. The sculpture of Shakespeare, reclining against a rock, between the Dramatic Muse and the Genius of Painting. Beneath it was panelled pedestal inscribed “He was a Man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again”. The sculpture remained in Pall Mall until the building was demolished in 1868 or 1869, when it was moved to New Place. Thomas died in London. (bio by: Shock)