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Carving a Legacy: Public Sculpture of Q ueen A nne, c .1704‐1712
Author(s) -
HENSBERGEN CLAUDINE
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal for eighteenth‐century studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.129
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1754-0208
pISSN - 1754-0194
DOI - 10.1111/1754-0208.12154
Subject(s) - reign , sculpture , carving , queen (butterfly) , contest , period (music) , art , art history , narrative , history , visual arts , literature , theology , law , politics , philosophy , political science , aesthetics , hymenoptera , botany , biology
Abstract Questions of Queen Anne's legacy have been much debated by historians of the period, who contest her role in securing the great achievements of her reign. This essay explores how contemporary public sculpture of the queen was used to create monuments to Anne's legacy, placing her at the centre of narratives that recorded the triumphs of the period. The essay focuses on two examples: Matthew Prior's involvement with plans for sculptural monuments to Anne in the early years of her reign, and Francis Bird's sculpture of the queen with radiating allegories at St Paul's Cathedral, unveiled in 1713.