Europe by [Henry Hugh Armstead (1828-1905) ?]. Colonial Office, Whitehall, London. Given that Europe holds a ship and sits with a trident behind her — both common symbols of Britain and her naval supremacy — the sculptor has obviously made it stand for all Europe. Does that horse possibly represent nations of the Continent, or is it one of Neptune's horses and hence another emphasis upon the sea? Europe (i.e. England) is the only continent depicted against a globe representing the earth, and since the female allegorical figure holds a ship in front of the globe, the work again emphasizes the country's naval supremacy and consequent world dominance.
Other sculpture by Armstead from the Colonial Office
Formatting, caption, and Photograph by George P. Landow. [You may use these images 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
Beattie, Susan. The New Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.
Content last modified 6 June 2011
Reformatted 16 March 2015