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Title:
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Sir George Cornewall Lewis
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Artist: |
Baron Carlo Marochetti
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Sir George Cornewall Lewis is shown standing in a relaxed posture, his left foot slightly advanced and his arms folded across his lower chest. His costume is of an unadorned modernity. As MP for the county and Chief Steward of the City of Hereford, Cornewall Lewis was highly regarded locally. Following his death, the Mayor of Hereford convened a meeting in the Guildhall on 22 May 1863, at which it was proposed to have some sort of public memorial to him. The proposals at this stage were a memorial window in the Cathedral , the building of an architectural screen across Broad Street, the setting up of a scholarship in his name, and the establishment of a natural history museum for Hereford (Hereford Times, 23 May 1863). There was no mention of a statue at this stage
However, an anonymous correspondent wrote to the Hereford Times (1 Aug. 1863), lamenting the delay in implementing the memorial committee's project, and suggesting that the most suitable commemoration would be a bronze statue on a granite plinth, in front of the Shire Hall, to be completed the following year. The only reference to Marochetti in the press before the unveiling was a short notice in the Hereford Times (27 Feb. 1864) to the effect that he had completed his model, which was "a very striking likeness".
The unveiling was performed on the 3 September 1864 by Lord Palmerston, Cornewall Lewis having been one of Palmerston's close political associates. The Hereford Times (3 September 1864) praised the statue: "In reproducing that deep earnest thoughtfulness, so pleasantly relieved by an amiable simplicity, which preeminently marked the features of Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Baron Marochetti has been singularly successful and added additional lustre to his fame as a sculptor".The Times (5 Sept. 1864) supposed that some might think that the choice of contemporary dress spoiled the statue's aesthetic effect, but argued that it had at least "the redeeming merit of truthfulness".
On 31 August 2001, the statue was pushed off its granite plinth, denting the forehead and shoulder , and cracking the waist. After restoration the statue was given a second unveiling on 13 May 2002 (Hereford Times, 3 September 2001 and 16 May 2002).
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Material(s): |
Bronze
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Medium: |
Unassigned |
Finish: |
- |
Technique: |
Cast |
Genre: |
Portrait Statue (Standing)
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Location: |
Hereford, Shire Hall, , ,
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Colours: |
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Year: |
1864 |
Height: |
2.25 metres |
Width: |
0 metres |
Depth: |
0 metres |
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Key: |
2236 |
Acc. No.: |
2236 |
Col. No.: |
2236 |
Number of views: |
2420 |
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