Pedimental Sculpture by J. R. Mountfield, Government Offices, Great George Street London W1. Architect: J.M. Brydon. 1898-1901. Grade II Listed Building. Left: View of columns and pediment. Right: Corner of the pediment with (from left to right) a torso presumably of an ancient statue, a man and woman looking at a page or map while the woman rests her elbow on a globe on which a standing woman with dividers measures a portion of the earth. A book rests before the globe. A man holds a jar at the extreme right. [Click on these images and those below to enlarge them.]
Left: The center of the pediment with an enthroned Britannia with sceptre surrounded” by male and female figures representing occupations and trades. Right: a man with a mattock, woman with ship, young blacksmith with his hammer resting on an anvil, two men struggling with a stone block. Throughout the pediment, the male figures are so heavily muscled as to resemble ecorchés — figures with skin removed to serve as anatomical references for artists and sculptors.
Photographs by Robert Freidus. Formatting, perspective correction, and captions by George P. Landow. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Pevsner, Nikolaus, revised by Bridget Cherry. London Volume One. London: Penguin Books, 1989.
“New Government Offices (HM Treasury.” Heritage Gateway. Web. 10 August 2011.
Last modified 9 August 2011