Statue

Frieze of Parnassus - Cellini

Erection date: 1872

Inscription

Cellini

Site: Albert Memorial & The Frieze of Parnassus (52 memorials)

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, officially titled the Prince Consort National Memorial, celebrates Victorian achievement and Prince Albert's passions and interests. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria and designed by George Gilbert Scott, was built 1864-72, and the statue of Albert was installed in 1875. Even for a Victorian edifice the excess of decoration is extraordinary - we suspect the design suffered mission creep.

Marble figures representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America stand at each corner of the memorial. Each of these groups comprises an animal typical of that continent and a few noble but stereotypical people from the region.

On the Frieze of Parnassus are depicted 168 men, 1 woman and two dogs, gender unknown. The woman is Nitocris, a historically questionable pharaoh who, it is claimed, built the third pyramid at Giza.

The men are segregated by field of fame. Reading anticlockwise from the south-west corner: Armstead carved the south and east sides, populated with musicians, poets, musicians, painters, grouped by nationality; Philip carved the north and west sides with architects and sculptors, cleverly arranged chronologically so that the Egyptian architects turn the corner in the same space with Egyptian sculptors.

Remarkably the whole Frieze was carved on site. In the selection of the figures, only one exception to the "must be dead" rule was allowed: George Gilbert Scott himself. Actually only 167 men are represented, one of them twice: Michelangelo as a painter and again as a sculptor. The dogs are Hogarth's Trump and a generic greyhound associated with Veronese.

Normally one cannot get close enough to the Frieze to take satisfactory photos but in May 2017 we joined a tour of the monument which gave us the proximity needed. We photographed all the figures in the Frieze but have decided to publish only (with a few exceptions) those already on London Remembers. Many of the others are little-known outside their field and have no connection to London. See Wikipedia for the entire list and some good photos of the whole Frieze.

The monument has many other figures of an allegorical nature, which are well covered at The Library Time Machine. Another page at the Library Time Machine has some interesting photos of the monument under construction.

Ian Visits managed to get a tour of the usually inaccessible undercroft, the structure that supports this monument.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Frieze of Parnassus - Cellini

Subjects commemorated i

Benvenuto Cellini

Italian goldsmith, sculptor, draftsman, soldier, musician, and artist who als...

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This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Frieze of Parnassus - Cellini

Created by i

John Birnie Philip

John Birnie Philip was born on 23 November 1824 in London, the third son of t...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Frieze of Parnassus - Cellini

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Edith Garrud - steel statue

Edith Garrud - steel statue

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There are two plaques on the blue bench behind the statues: Plaque 1: The characters for this Portrait Bench chosen by your community ce...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Elizabeth I statue - Harrow

Elizabeth I statue - Harrow

HA1, Peterborough Road, Harrow War Memorial Building and Speech Room

Harrow School was founded in 1572 under a Royal Charter of Elizabeth I so this statue is entirely appropriate. About this statue Wikiped...

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators
Sylvia Pankhurst - steel statue

Sylvia Pankhurst - steel statue

E3, Mile End Park, By the towpath near Haverfield Road

{On a nearby bench:} Plaque 1:The characters for this Portrait Bench chosen by your community celebrate Sustrans winning a nationwide vo...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Westminster School - old boys - 2 - Edward the Confessor

Westminster School - old boys - 2 - Edward the Confessor

SW1, Broad Sanctuary

From Westminster's Conservation Audit: This Listed grade II monument was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. It is in a high Victorian ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Edward VII statue - Waterloo Place

Edward VII statue - Waterloo Place

SW1, Waterloo Place

Unveiled by George V, his son.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators

Previously viewed

Braeside - nursery

Braeside - nursery

IG10, Connaught Avenue, 1, Godiva House

2023: the building seems to be used by the Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery and also by the Godiva Printing Shop.

British Association of Dermatologists

British Association of Dermatologists

W1, Fitzroy Square, 4

Robert Willan was the founder of dermatology in Britain, so it's fairly certain that the house is named after him.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators