Detail of garden statuette. Digital image of PB 559.

Description Detail of garden statuette. Digital image of PB 559.

Date 1963

Catalogue Number SC 760049

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of PB 559

Scope and Content Lead statue in gardens, Traquair House, Scottish Borders This shows a lead statue of a Classical-style nude. The layers of lead around her legs have cracked with time, and part of the metal armature is visible on the left ankle. The lady's gaze is directed at her right hand, which probably once held a mirror, representing 'Vanity'. She probably dates from the 18th century, when lead statues were very fashionable in grand gardens. Lead has been used as a medium for statuary for thousands of years. The Romans used it for decorative arts, water courses, and even coffins. Church roofs were often sealed with lead strips, and after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 large amounts of recycled lead became available for making statuary and ornaments. Traquair is the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland, with its origins in the 10th century. It was the site of a royal hunting lodge in the 1200s, but the house as seen today is based around a c.1512 tower-house with many later additions. The flanking service wings were built in 1695 to designs by architect James Smith (c.1645-1731), who also designed the wrought-iron screens round the courtyard in 1698. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/760049

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap