Queen Victoria Building sculptures (east and west)

Related to City Art

Installed 1899

City centre Public art Statues

A marble statue in front of a sandstone building. The statue features 3 figures, 2 seated men flanking one standing woman, with an array of symbolic objects including a beehive, a sheaf of wheat, a scroll, a sword, a book and a ship.

A marble statue of 3 figures atop a sandstone building, with large domes of the building behind the statue.

Allegorical groups of marble figures adorn the eastern and western façades of the Queen Victoria Building.

Queen Victoria Building

455 George Street

Sydney 2000

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Artist: William P MacIntosh

Artwork description

Two statue groups by sculptor William P MacIntosh were commissioned in 1897 during the construction of the Queen Victoria Market Building. They are located on the eastern and western façades of the building’s central arches.

The eastern group, located on the building’s George Street frontage, features a lightly draped female figure flanked by 2 semi-nude males. The western group, located on the building’s York Street frontage, features a male figure flanked by 2 draped females. The statues stand around 4.5m high and are made from Sicilian marble.

In his submission to Council in January 1897, MacIntosh outlined his specifications for the 2 allegorical groups of statues.

It was claimed in a 1984 article in the Sydney Morning Herald that the male figures in these groups were modelled on the body of Percy Cavill, one of Australia’s first swimming champions.

“Design No. 1 … Standing upon a raised pedestal in centre is a lightly draped female figure Representing the controlling Powers or Guardian Genius of the city, with the sword and scales of ‘Justice’ in one hand and the scroll of ‘wisdom’ in the other. On her head is the Civic Crown and Waratah wreath, at her feet a shield bearing the City Crest …’.

“On her right hand is seated a semi-nude muscular male figure representing ‘Labour’ as applied to the productive elements and to Industry with the appropriate symbols grouped around him. Vis-the wheat, ram, fruit, and beehive. On his head is a wreath of Olive – a symbol of peace …’.

On the other side is a corresponding male figure also wreathed with Olive, and representing ‘Commerce’ and ‘Exchange’, by his side a ship in full sail, in his left hand a bag of money and resting his right upon the ledger book’.”

– William P MacIntosh, describing the eastern statue group

“On a raised pedestal which is ornamented with the rising sun of Australia stands a lightly draped male figure holding aloft a device of the ‘fasces’ or bound rods symbol of ‘Union’ in the form of a cross ornamented with 5 stars of the Southern Cross, surrounded by a wreath of Waratah – the whole symbolising ‘United Australia’ …

“On the right is a seated semi-nude female figure representing ‘Peace’ holding a palm branch at her feet – symbols of ‘Literature’ and ‘Science’ …

“On the other side is a corresponding female figure representing ‘Plenty’ holding the ‘Cornucopia’ and showing the symbols of the ‘attendant Arts’ …”

– William P MacIntosh, describing the western statue group

Artist

MacIntosh was born in Scotland in 1857 and arrived in Sydney in 1880.

He taught sculpture at East Sydney Technical College and from 1880–1882 studied at the Sydney Subject Mechanic Schools of Arts, where he received the inaugural Students Prize in 1882. MacIntosh was commissioned by the Parkes Government to provide carved sandstone pillars and sculptures for the Sydney Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and the Lands Department Building.

Wealthy businessmen and aldermen conceived the lavish Queen Victoria Building in the economic boom of the 1880s. But it wasn't built until the economically depressed 1890s, by workmen on reduced wages. The plans for this graceful, though extravagant, public building included 2 groups of statues.

Designs were called for in 1896 and there was great deliberation by Council about the nature of the sculptures in January 1897. Mayor Samuel Burdekin, George McRae and the city architect WL Vernon chose William P MacIntosh’s proposal from the many submissions received.

MacIntosh provided several options for the materials and methods he would employ on the commission. The lost wax process could have been used to cast the statues at a cost of £2,700; the piece mould process could have been used for £1,850; or the statues could have been sculpted from ‘the best Sydney stone’ for £850.

Council, however, chose to have the sculptures rough shaped in Italy in Sicilian marble and finished in position for a cost of £1,400. The marble was obtained from the workshop and studio of SA MacFarland of Carrara, Italy, though it is not known whether the marble was from Sicily.

MacIntosh and 10 assistants spent 4 months working on half-sized models of the 2 groups of statues, initially made of clay. Subsequently the models were formed in plaster of Paris and transported to Carrara, Italy, where the sculptor supervised the reproduction.