A life-size bronze statue of Jan Smuts by the British artist Jacob Epstein stands on the north side of Parliament Square in London, United Kingdom, between a statue of Lord Palmerston and a statue of David Lloyd George.[1]
Statue of Jan Smuts | |
---|---|
The statue in 2013 | |
Artist | Jacob Epstein |
Medium | Bronze sculpture |
Subject | Jan Smuts |
Location | London, United Kingdom |
51°30′03″N 0°07′37″W / 51.50087°N 0.12690°W |
Description
editThe statue depicts him in his military uniform as a field marshal, leaning forward with his left leg advanced, as if walking forward. The statue stands on a pedestal of granite from South Africa, which bears the inscription JAN/ CHRISTIAN/ SMUTS/ 1870–1950.
History
editAfter Winston Churchill won the general election in October 1951, he proposed erecting a statue in Parliament Square as a memorial to Smuts, who had died in September 1950. Churchill retired as prime minister in 1955, and was too ill to perform the unveiling in November 1956; it was unveiled instead by the Speaker of the House of Commons, William Morrison. The statue became a Grade II listed building in 1970.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Statues". Greater London Authority. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ "STATUE OF FIELD MARSHAL JAN SMUTS, non Civil Parish - 1226373 | Historic England". Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
External links
edit- Jan Christian Smuts – Parliament Square, London, UK at Waymarking
- Statue of Field Marshal Jan Smuts, National Heritage List for England Historic England
- Smuts statue, londonremembers.com
- Parliament Square Garden, london.gov.uk
- The Statues of Parliament Square, Bowl Of Chalk – London Walking Tours, 12 November 2013
- Parliament Square statues, Bob Speel
- Smuts Statue Unveiled 1956, Pathé