The Quadrangle

Sculptures

There are a range of marble, stone and bronze sculptures to be seen in the Quadrangle.

• Marble statues in the Great Hall
• Marble busts in the Great Hall
• Stone sculptures outside the Great Hall
• Bronze sculptures in the Vice-Chancellor's Courtyard

Photos are courtesy of the University Secretariat unless otherwise indicated. Click on images for enlargement.

MARBLE STATUES IN THE GREAT HALL

Marble statues of John Henry Challis and William Charles Wentworth are located inside the Great Hall, on either side of the main entrance.

The statues of John Henry Challis (left) and William Charles Wentworth (right) in the Great Hall at the inauguration of Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence on 22 July 2008, photo, copyright Nuran Zorlu.

Statue of William Charles Wentworth:
The statue of William Charles Wentworth is located near the front entrance of the Great Hall. Made by Tenerani of Rome, a rising sculptor in Italy, the statue is of a greyish Carrara marble, between seven and eight feet high, and stands on a marble Çedettal three or four feet from the ground. The figure represents Wentworth in the act of addressing a public assemblage. Below the right arm is a short pedestal upon which some papers are lying.

The statue of William Charles Wentworth

The statue of W C Wentworth, photo, University Archives.

— Read about the statue OF William Charles Wentworth.
— Read about William Charles Wentworth on ADB online


Statue of John Henry Challis
A life-size marble statue of John Henry Challis by sculptor Achille Simonetti stands in the Great Hall near the front entrance, opposite to that of W C Wentworth.

The statue of John Henry Challis.

Another view of the statue of John Henry Challis taken in the 1940s by Frank Hurley, photo, nla.pic-an23478473-v, courtesy of the National Library of Australia.

— Read about the statue OF John Henry Challis.
— Read more about John Henry Challis in ADB online

MARBLE BUSTS IN THE GREAT HALL

Four marble busts of Arthur Renwick, Peter Nicol Russell, William Montagu Manning and Edward Deas Thomson are in the Great Hall.

The four busts on the Great Hall dais at the farewell address of retiring Vice-Chancellor Professor Gavin Brown AO on 20 June 2008, photo, copyright Nuran Zorlu..

The bust of Edward Deas Thomson at Dr Spence's inauguration on 22 July 2008, photo, copyright Nuran Zorlu.

Bust of Arthur Renwick	Bust of Sir Peter Nicol Russell
Renwick was Vice-Chancellor 1889 - 1891, 1900 - 1902 and 1906 - 1908. The bust  is by Achille Simonetti and was presented to the University in 1912 by Lady (Elizabeth) Renwick. — Find out about Renwick. Enlargement	Sir Peter Nicol Russell's endowments of 1896 and 1904 established Engineering at the University. The bust is by C B Benzoni and was presented to the University by Mrs (later Dame Charlotte) Russell in 1898. — Find out about Russell. Enlargement.

Bust of Sir William Montagu Manning	Bust of Sir Edward Deas Thomson
Manning was Chancellor 1878 - 1895. The bust by French sculptor Emile Leysalle was paid for by public subscription and unveiled on 6 April 1895. — Find out about Manning. Enlargement.	Deas Thomson was Vice-Chancellor 1863 - 1865 and Chancellor 1865 - 1878. The bust in white marble by Odoardo Fantacchiotti of Florence was paid for by public subscription in honour of Deas Thomson's service to the colony and to the University. At the back are the words "Odoardo Fantacchiotti faceva in Firenzc, 1'anno 1855." — Find out about Deas Thomson. Enlargement.

STONE SCULPTURES OUTSIDE THE GREAT HALL

Sculptures of a male and a female figure:
Artist Lloyd Rees commissioned sculptor Tom Bass to fill the empty niches on the eastern wall of the Great Hall. In 1984, a male and female figure - finished in reconstituted stone and representing the youth of the University - were unveiled.

The sculpture by Tom Bass of a female figure on the front of the Great Hall.

Bass's sculpture of a male figure on the front of the Great Hall.

— Read about Tom Bass.

BRONZE SCULPTURES IN THE VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURTYARD

Statues of "Mercury" and "Fortuna":
Two statues of Mercury and Fortuna were added to the garden in 1952. These had previously stood on the parapet of a row of shops on George Street West and were acquired for the University by Allan Gamble, the University's public relations officer, a noted architect and artist, when the shops were to be demolished. The statues, both signed 'Jean Bologne' are probably French copies of the work of the Italian Renaissance sculptor Giovanni Bologna and were auctioned in Sydney by Lawsons in December 1887 as part of a sale of works of art from Irish country houses.

The statue of Fortuna, photo, copyright David White.

The statue of Mercury, photo, copyright David White.

Sculpture entitled "Horse":
The third bronze sculpture in the courtyard is a copy of the 1989 bronze entitled "Horse" and was a gift of the artist Shona Nunan in 1992.

"Horse".

Snapped on a cold Spring day.

Snapped on a cold Spring day.

LB