Edinburgh, West Mains Road, University Of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Department Of Zoology

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.

The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.

A series of 14 large oval and 14 small circular high reliefs depicting various creatures from around the world.

On the north elevation, viewed from right to left, are:

(1) a nine-banded armadillo, side view with its head to the left and turned partially towards the viewer.

(2) two sphenodon lizards, entwined. The foreground lizard has its head turned to the viewer's right with its torso twisting to the left over the adjacent lizard's head. Lizard in background is facing the viewer with the head turned partially towards the viewer with the torso twisting to the right.

(3) a kangaroo; side view in crouched position with head to viewer's right.

(4) a tiger; side view in standing position with head to the viewer's left. The back is arched slightly with the tail sweeping around the rear leg to the underside of its torso. Its mouth is open in a display of aggression.

(5) a rhinoceros; side view in standing position with head to the viewer's right. (6) an Indian elephant; side view walking with head to the viewer's left. Its legs are shackled together with ropes.

(7) a lion; side view in stooping position with head to the viewer's right. Shown standing at water's edge drinking from a rippled pool.

(8) a chimpanzee; front view with lower torso and legs turned to viewer's left and upper body and arms facing viewer. The head is turned slightly to the viewer's right. Shown sitting in a tree with both hands extended either side to hold the branches.

(9) an aardvark; side view in standing position with head to viewer's right. The tongue is extended.

The series of smaller circular reliefs located below the eaves are (from right to left): crab; octopus; dung beetle; octopus; crab; dung beetle; octopus; dung beetle; crab. (Differences between identical creatures are indistinguishable).

On the north-east elevation are:

(1) a bison; side view in recumbent position with raised head to viewer's left.

(2) a beaver; side view with head to viewer's right. Shown standing upon rocks whilst gnawing a branch.

(3) a polar bear; side view in crouching position with head to viewer's left turning to look back over torso. Shown standing on rock or ice segments.

(4) a golden eagle; side view in standing position with head to viewer's left turning to look back over wings.

(5) a reindeer; side view of a stag in a recumbent position with lowered head to viewer's right.

The circular reliefs on this elevation are (from right to left): crab; octopus; dung beetle; octopus; crab. (Again the differences between identical creatures are indistinguishable).

In 1926 a donation of £74,000 from the International Board for Education enabled the construction of the Department of Zoology. The architects were Sir Robert Lorimer and John F. Matthew. The building was erected between 1927 and 1929.

The oval panels by Phyllis Bone were modelled in clay and cast in concrete.

The dung beetle, octopus and crab represent the invertebrates. The other fourteen creatures are grouped by principal zoogeographical regions:

The Palearctic region is represented by the reindeer, golden eagle and polar bear; the Neararctic region by the beaver and bison; the Ethiopian region by the aardvark, chimpanzee and lion; the Oriental region by the Indian elephant, rhinoceros and tiger; and Australia, New Zealand and South America by the kangaroo, sphenodon lizards and nine-banded armadillo.

Inscriptions : None visible

Signatures : None Visible

Design period : 1927-1929

Unveiling details : Building opened 1929

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0030)

Coat of arms of the University of Edinburgh: a shield carved with an open book on a saltire, a thistle above, and a castle below. The shield hangs from a carved buckled belt. To the left side is a staff of Aesculapius, to the right is a flaming torch around which, from top to bottom, a scroll is entwined.

Inscriptions : Below coat of arms (raised letters): ZOOLOGY

To left of shield (raised numbers): 19

To right of shield (raised numbers): 28

Signatures : None Visible

Design period : 1927-1928

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN1454)

Standing at the foot of the stairway and progressing upwards the pieces are distributed as follows:

(Matching pairs are considered identical).

1) A pair of standing owls are attached to the top of the first newel posts on each side of the ascending staircase.

2) A pair of cats, sitting upright and each embracing a standing kitten, are attached to the half-landing newel posts.

3) A pair of monkeys are attached to the newel posts on each side of the ascending staircase after the half landing. Each monkey is sitting upright and leaning forward to cradle a single baby monkey which sits upon the mother's feet, with the body turned towards the mother and the head facing the viewer.

Inscriptions : None

Signatures : None

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0038)

A bronze statuette of a chimpanzee seated on a disorderly pile of books, one of which has the title "Darwin" inscribed on the spine. On a page of an open book facing the viewer is the inscription "Eritus Sicut Deus". The chimpanzee’s right hand is holding a human skull with gaping jaw up to its face for examination while the left hand is stroking its chin in a pensive expression. The left foot grasps the right lower leg which is holding a pair of measuring calipers.

In 1893, at the Grosse Berliner Kunstaustellung (Great Berlin Art Exhibition), Rheinhold first exhibited his 'Affe mit Schadel' (monkey with skull), otherwise 'Affe einen Schadel betrachtend' (monkey viewing or contemplating a skull). Soon after, it was a featured bronze in the catalogue of the Gladenbeck foundry (set up by Carl Gustav Hermann Gladenbeck in 1851).

Inscriptions : On bronze plinth, incised letters in lower case italics enclosed in quotation marks:

"eritus sicut deus"

On bronze plinth (incised letters):

Presented by / Dr. R. Stewart MacDougall

Within a small frame fixed to wall to right hand side of work (typed letters):

This statuette of the ape and the skull, presented to the Department in 1942, is one of a small number of bronze castings by Rheinhold in 1892. Another one is on Lenin’s desk in the Kremlin.

The Latin inscription is a slight modification of what the Serpent says to Eve in Genesis 3.5 "Eritus sicut diiscientes bonum et malum" (Vulgate). In the Authorised Version, this is ".. ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil".

Signatures : On front face of plinth at bottom right hand side:

1942.12

Design period : 1893

Year of unveiling : 1942

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0023)

A cultural heritage desk based assessment for the proposed redevelopment focused on the Geosciences Buildings and Engineering Buildings, King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh was undertaken in August 2016. The proposed development site is located at the west extent of the King's Buildings Campus in the south of Edinburgh centred on NGR NT 26466 70599. The proposed development comprises redevelopment of the Geosciences and Engineering buildings within the King's Buildings Campus.

Information from Callum Allsop (Rubicon Heritage Services) 11 August 2016: OASIS ID: rubiconh1-261722