Martin Jennings, the sculptor commissioned to create the Queen Elizabeth II memorial statues, has defended his design following criticism that the models bear little resemblance to the late monarch and should have featured her on horseback.
Dame Joanna Lumley was among those voicing disappointment at the absence of an equestrian element.
“We all wanted her to be on a horse. We wanted her on Burmese,” the actress told The Daily Mail. “An equestrian statue, that’s what we wanted. We really wanted her on a horse because we know she loved horses above everything.”
The 68-year-old sculptor unveiled scale models of both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to members of the Royal Family at the British Museum on Tuesday.
Royal sculptor hits back at ‘horse’ row over Queen Elizabeth II memorial design
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Mr Jennings responded to concerns about the likeness by explaining that critics had confused his preparatory maquettes with the finished work. These small-scale models function much like a painter’s preliminary sketches, he said, serving to establish basic elements rather than fine details.
“All I was trying to do was to suggest an idea – the costume, the pose, the turn of the head – really simple things,” he explained. “You don’t really worry too much about likeness at this stage.”
The sculptor noted that the head on his current models measures no larger than a thumb tip, making precise facial features impractical at this stage.
He offered reassurance that the completed monument would leave no doubt about its subject. “Everybody will recognise as the late Queen and nobody else,” Mr Jennings said.
Martin Jennings has also portrayed the Queen Mother and the King in past works | PA
Mr Jennings defended the decision to depict the Queen standing alone rather than mounted on her beloved horse, Burmese. The choice, he explained, was made deliberately to represent her in her capacity as sovereign and head of state.
“Had we put her on a horse, she’d have needed to be in military uniform, and that would have reflected only one part of what she stood for,” he told The Mail.
The sculptor also pointed to the existing equestrian statue of Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor Great Park, noting he wished to avoid replicating that approach.
“This is what we’ll have, the Queen herself, rather than the Queen and an awful lot of horse,” he added.
The Queen’s likeness draws inspiration from Pietro Annigoni’s celebrated 1955 portrait | PA
An earlier architectural mock-up had shown the monarch on horseback, but Mr Jennings clarified this was merely a placeholder rather than a definitive representation.
The King gave his approval to the designs put forward by Mr Jennings, who kept the monarch informed throughout the process.
During Tuesday’s unveiling at the British Museum, the Royal Family responded warmly to the presentation. “The King and Queen were very happy to see the models,” Mr Jennings said.
The sculptor revealed that Charles and Camilla were “particularly pleased with the idea of representing the Queen and Prince Philip at this early stage of her reign, which symbolised so much optimism and hope.”
Their Majesties appeared “affable” and “interested” in the initial designs, according to Mr Jennings.
The memorial will depict Elizabeth in her garter robes with her hand on her heart, based on Pietro Annigoni’s 1954 portrait when she was 28. Philip’s statue shows him at a similar age in an Admiral of the Fleet uniform.
The memorial project carries a budget of £46million, though Mr Jennings noted the bulk of this funding is allocated elsewhere. “The money is not going on me. There’s a very expensive bridge and a lot of landscaping,” he said.
A centrepiece of the wider scheme is a glass unity bridge designed by Foster and Partners, which will span the lake in St James’s Park. The structure draws inspiration from the Russian Fringe tiara worn by the late Queen at her wedding.
King Charles praised the concept at Tuesday’s unveiling, calling it “a wonderful idea for the bridge to be based on the Russian Fringe tiara, the one my Mama wore at her wedding.”
The statues are scheduled for completion in 2028 and will occupy a prominent position on The Mall near Buckingham Palace.