A statue commemorating King Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria who died after a short reign in 1910.
Artist: Thomas Brock
Artwork description
This bronze statue features King Edward VII in uniform on horseback.
It stands on a sandstone plinth featuring relief panels showing allegorical figures. It is on the corner of Macquarie and Bridge streets, opposite the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
King Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria, died on 6 May 1910 after a short illness and a relatively short reign from 1901 to 1910.
His death was widely reported in Sydney newspapers as an abrupt termination of an active reign and Sydney was described as a city in mourning. The memorial statue was unveiled on Empire Day, 24 May 1922.
Local newspapers proudly hailed the monument as an expression of the significance of the empire. This was clearly portrayed by one of the bas-relief panels on the statue’s pedestal, featuring allegorical figures with clasped hands and carrying the inscription ‘Empire and Unity’.
Artist
Thomas Brock (1847–1922) was one of Britain’s most prominent sculptors of the era. He is best known for his public monuments and statues in London, especially the Victoria Memorial Buckingham Palace.
Although schooled in the classical tradition he successfully made the transition to the ‘New Sculpture’ circa 1900. Brock was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1883 and full member in 1891. In 1911 Brock received a knighthood.
