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| Sculptures in Portland Stone at first floor level by Eric Gill. |
  right - On the west front again, Ariel is seen hearing Celestial Music. |
Gill accepted the BBC's suggestion that the subject of his carvings should be Shakespeare's Ariel, who, as the invisible spirit of the air, could serve as a personification of radio broadcasting. top left - On the west front, this group shows Ariel between Wisdom and Gaiety. bottom left - On the east front, Ariel is represented piping to children.  |
The book of views of BH published by the BBC
didn't include a picture of the largest of Gill's sculptures, that of
Prospero and Ariel above the main entrance. Perhaps this was because of
the controversy about a certain part of Ariel's anatomy which was considered
by some to be rather too generously proportioned. Gill reduced the size
of the offending area, but there were still calls for the sculpture to
be removed.
Although the BBC wanted the group to represent Prospero and Ariel, Gill
seems to have had a larger theme. Prospero is a very Biblical figure and
the hands and feet of Ariel carry the marks of the stigmata. Gill's intention
seems to have been to represent God the Father presenting God the Son
to the world, on which they stand.
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Colour photos from |
The photo on the right shows the sculpture in 2006 after cleaning and restoration. During the work the face, below, was found carved on the back. Apparently, there is a rumour about a cryptic message by Eric Gill the sculptor saying 'the true face of the statue will only be seen when the building falls down'...
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