Gilbert, Alfred (1854–1934)

English sculptor and goldsmith. Influenced by art nouveau, he created the statue known as Eros 1887–93 in Piccadilly Circus, London, erected as a memorial to the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury.

Gilbert also executed the statue of Queen Victoria at Winchester 1888, the memorial to the Duke of Clarence 1899 (Windsor), and a wide range of portrait busts.

Gilbert studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in the studio of the English sculptor Edgar Boehm, and also in Rome and Florence. His admiration of Italian Renaissance works is reflected in such works as Perseus Arming 1882 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) and Icarus 1884 (Cardiff).