You’ve made a pig’s ear of that statue!
Revenge of the unpaid artist
IF you’d been forced to wait more than 50 years to be paid for a job, wouldn’t you be tempted to make a right pig’s ear of it?
It seems that is how Scottish sculptor Sir John Steell got his revenge when an equestrian statue he was commissioned to create in 1832 was not cast in bronze until 1883.
The statue of Alexander the Great taming his warhorse Bucephalus remained in limbo for half a century after money ran out, with rumours persisting that Steell gave the rearing stallion the ears of a swine in protest at being short-changed.
And these new pictures, taken as the statue outside Edinburgh City Chambers undergoes renovation, would seem to give credence to the claim.
Paul McAuley, of Edinburgh Museums, said Sir John was offered 100 guineas from the council plus a large sum in donations when the statue was commissioned in 1832, adding: ‘But it seems it took quite some time for him to be paid.
‘From the dates in the records, the implication is that he was not paid for around 50 years, and this is where the story comes from.
‘It is believed that the artist gave the unharnessed horse pig’s ears just before it was cast in bronze in 1883, when it became clear he would not be paid in full.’
Born in Aberdeen, Sir John was 28 when he accepted the commission, and six years l ater was appointed as sculptor to Queen Victoria. But he was 79 before he got paid – and died eight years later.
Bucephalus was known for being afraid of its own shadow until Alexander the Great tamed and subdued the horse by turning it towards the sun so it could no l onger see t he dark shadow behind.
The statue was presented to the city by subscribers in 1884 and moved from St Andrew Square to its present site in 1916.
Many of the Edinburgh tour companies have now passed on the story about the pig’s ears to thousands of visitors to the city.
Frances Mann, 40, who has been working at Mercat Tours for more than 20 years, said: ‘It is a traditional Edinburgh story and I think there is definitely truth in it.
‘As an act of revenge, the artist changed the ears on the mould to pig’s ears.
‘People on the tour find the story funny, as there is a real parallel with modern life, with the council running out of money.’