Statues - Hither & Thither

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Liverpool
Merseyside
North West England

High Street (L2)
(Town Hall)

Minerva or Britannia and the Seasons or Continents

Richard Westmacott & Charles. Rossi
1792 and 1800-02

Liverpool / Minerva <i>or</i> Britannia and the Seasons <i>or</i> Continents

Description

The town hall was built between 1749 and 1754. De five staties however were added only in 1792 and 1802. On the summit of the dome is a statue, representing Britannia or Minerva. It is 10 feet (3 m) high and was designed by John Charles Felix Rossi of 1802.

Liverpool - Minerva or Britannia and the Seasons or Continents
Britannia or Minerva, 1802 by Rossi.

Four statues above the Exchange Flags portico date from 1792 and are sculpted by Richard Westmacott; these statues have been moved from the Parliament House in Dublin when in 1803 that building was converted into the Bank of England (see here ). It is not clear what they represent, the four seasons or the four continents. The usual attributes of both seasons and continents are not present.

Liverpool - Minerva or Britannia and the Seasons or Continents
Female figure with rudder.
Female figure with cornucopia upside down
Female figure with cornucopia in her hand
Male figure with cornucopia in her hand

Sculptors

John Charles Felix Rossi (Nottingham 1762 - London 1839), British sculptor (Wikipedia).
Sir Richard Westmacott Jr, (1775-1856), British sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, Liverpool Town Hall.
Terry Cavanagh, Public Sculpture of Liverpool. Liverpool University Press, 1997, pp. 72-74.
Friends of Liverpool Monuments Civic Society, Liverpool Monuments.

Locatie (N 53°24'25" - W 2°59'29") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gbnw098; Photograph: 19 June 2023
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt