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Colossal Statue of Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1846)
The Illustrated London News
Sir John Steell (1804-91)
20 cm x 15 cm (8 by 6 inches) framed, p. 113.
Princes-street Gardens
Edinburgh
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John Steell (1804-91) offered the public its first chance to marvel at his Colossal Statue of Sir Walter Scott, Bart., installed in the Walter Scott Monument, on 15 August 1846. The Illustrated London News for 22 August 1846 made this its cover feature, although the commentary appears over the page. The statue is now ensconced in the memorial, whose stone was sourced locally, in the Princes-street Gardens, Edinburgh, a Gothic structure of archways and spires designed by George Meikle Kemp (1795-1844).
Call it not vain. They do not err
Who say that when the Poet dies
Kind Nature mourns her worshipper,
And celebrates his obsequies. WALTER SCOTT.
Fair Scotland honours her immortal son;
Erects his monument upon thy hills,
Edina! Myriads pour their benizon
Upon his memory, whose genius thrills
The universal heart, from Iceland rills
To sacred Ganges. Every living tongue
Burns with his line of beauty and romance;
And, until time his latest hour hath wrung,
Shall live the sheen of Marmion's Flodden lance.
Rebecca's heroine woes, and Allan's mystic trance.
The Ariosto of the North, whose pen
Fired with a thirst of fame, the dullest breast; —
The Raffael of the lyre, who clad the glen,
The lake and rill, with glories which shall rest
Round them for ever! — Raise aloft thy Crest
Edina! Let the cannon's joyful roar,
And the exulting shouts of high-soul'd men,
Arouse the echoes of Benlomond hoar! —
Raise high thy crest Edina! When, oh when,
Shalt thou behold his like — thy minstrel citizen!
Long ages hence, as sailing up the Forth,
The voyager Scott's Monument espies,
Above the classic City of the North
Towering, a landmark for Devotion's eyes,
Fervently shall he hail the freeborn skies
And genial clime of Him to whom this stone
Is consecrate. Oh! long shall Scotia's child,
Ever for bravery and wisdom known,
Hallow this monument to genius wild —
To Scott of immortal worth, and morals undefiled!
The inauguration ceremony of the Scott Monument was undertaken on 15 August 1846 to a “sea of people, stretching the length of East Princes-street Gardens.” The structure had been effectively complete since the autumn of 1844, when George M. Kemp’s son, Thomas, placed the final stone; however, the official opening had to be delayed until Sir John Steell, the principal sculptor, finished its centrepiece, a more than double life-sized statue of Sir Walter Scott and his beloved hound, Maida (1813-24), a cross between a Highlands Deerhound and a Pyrenean Wolfdog, cut from the finest Carrara marble sourced from northern Tuscany.
The expression of the countenance is peculiarly delightful; and in it the leading features of Scott's character have all been skilfully delineated. The familiar humour for which the poet's face, in his happy moods, was remarkable, has been happily blended with that repose, so essential in sculpture: and one of the greatest difficulties with which sculptors have to contend, has thus been successfully surmounted. The Minstrel has been engaged in writing, and seems pleased with the result of his labours. The dog, Maida, who has been reposing by his side, appears to have been startled by the shutting of the book in the hand of his master, and seems participating in the pleasure which is spread over his benign countenance. Used thus as an accessory, the figure of the dog, while it forms an important part of the composition, heightens the general interest of the group, while the sympathy evidently subsiding between the parties, brings out an important point in Scott's character, namely, his love for, and kindness to, the inferior animals. Individuality being an essential element in any representation of Scott, every leading characteristic of the dress which he wore has been rigidly adhered to; and this has been done in such a manner, as to set aside that silly affectation, that can see nothing classic or dignified in modern costume. There is a breadth in the folds and general disposition of the drapery, also, which corresponds well with the Gothic edifice with which the figure is connected. . . . [114]
The overall monument in the Gothic style covers an area of approximately sixty square feet, and rises to a height of 130 feet. The ornate structure has a Gothic tower or spire supported by four Gothic arches facing the four compass points, and is ornamented with turrets, pinnacles, and niches; the latter at the time of the dedication contained images over the four arches of four of Scott's most celebrated characters (already reproduced in The Illustrated London News, No. 154: 12 April 1845): North: Bonnie Prince Charlie; West: The Harp o' the North; East: Meg Merrilees; and South: The Lady of the Lake. The sixteen Scottish writers are as follows: James Hogg; Robert Burns; Robert Ferguson; Allan Ramsay; George Buchanan; Sir David Lindsay; Robert Tannahill; Lord Byron; Tobias Smollett; James Beattie; James Thomson; John Home; Mary, Queen of Scotts; King James I of Scotland; King James V of Scotland; and William Drummond of Hawthornden. The total cost of the finished monument was reported to have been £15,650. “It proved to be money well spent, too, as Edinburgh’s citizens enjoyed spectacular views of the centre of their city that had not been possible before.” The monument’s sixty-four statues, located in niches around the structure, for the most part depict characters from Sir Walter Scott’s poems and novels; this aspect of the monument remained incomplete for well over thirty years.
The Scott Monument, as now completed, is, perhaps, the finest, and certainly the most appropriate, monumental edifice in the kingdom. It is remarkable for having brought into public notice two men of high talent — the late lamented Kemp, the architect of the structure; and Mr. Steell, the sculptor of the Statue. . . . . The Statue is all that could be wished — dignified and familiar, classic and faithful. [114]
Although the monument contained from the first sixty-four niches, only eight were occupied by statuettes at the time of the 1846 inauguration. At the instigation of James Ballentine, a committee was appointed in December 1870 to fill a further twenty-three. That initiative was completed in 1882, some fifty years after the novelist's death, although four of these additions are not visible from the ground; and thirty-two of the monument's niches at the uppermost level remain unoccupied.
Colston, John. History of the Scott Monument, Edinburgh. Edinburgh, 1881. Rpt. Pitfield, Milton Keynes: Legare Street Press.
"Inauguration of the Scott Monument, Edinburgh." The Illustrated London News, No. 225, Vol. 9 (22 August 1846): 113-114.
"Scott Monument." Wikipedia. Viewed 20 September 2007.
Watt, Francis M., and Andrew Carter. "Title-page Vignette: The Scott Monument." Picturesque Scotland: Its Romantic Scenes & Historical Associations Described in Lay and Legend, Song and Story. London: John M. Murdoch [1887?].
"Waverely Ball, Edinburgh — Statues for the Scott Monument." The Illustrated London News, No. 154, Vol. 6 (12 April 1845): 237-238.
Created 19 June 2025
