Unexecuted design for a First World War Memorial
Design
1923
1923
| Artist/Maker |
Design for a proposed war memorial made up of three cylindrical tiers. At the lowest tier a statue of St Mary and children, seated on a plinth, is housed under a partially closed portico. Statues of saints decorate the columns of the lower tier. The top tier is surmounted by a statue of a triumphal St George holding a child. In contrast to the alternative version, the second tier is heavily decorated with figures and wreaths. The monument sits on a base of six steps.
The drawing is annotated on all sides with suggested inscriptions for the monument.
The drawing is annotated on all sides with suggested inscriptions for the monument.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Unexecuted design for a First World War Memorial (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Charcoal, watercolour and gouache |
| Brief description | Unexecuted design for a First World War Memorial in Coventry by H. W. Simister, one of two proposed designs, 1923. |
| Physical description | Design for a proposed war memorial made up of three cylindrical tiers. At the lowest tier a statue of St Mary and children, seated on a plinth, is housed under a partially closed portico. Statues of saints decorate the columns of the lower tier. The top tier is surmounted by a statue of a triumphal St George holding a child. In contrast to the alternative version, the second tier is heavily decorated with figures and wreaths. The monument sits on a base of six steps. The drawing is annotated on all sides with suggested inscriptions for the monument. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | The designs were made by Simister in response to a competition in 1923 for a First World War Memorial in Coventry. The competition was won by Thomas Francis Tickner (1864-1924) and the Memorial was built in 1927 as a stepped obelisk around 27 metres high. Simister’s designs contrast starkly with that modernist vision: his two alternative proposals combine neo-Classical elements with traditional Christian iconography. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Associated object | E.6-2019 (Version) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.7-2019 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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