| Boadicea and Her Daughters | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The sculptural group in 2013 | |
 | |
| Artist | Thomas Thornycroft |
| Year | 1856–1883 (executed); June 1902 (erected)[2] |
| Type | Sculptural group |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Subject | Boudica |
| Location | London,SW1 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′04″N0°07′26″W / 51.501097°N 0.123780°W /51.501097; -0.123780 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Boadicea (Boudicca) statuary group |
| Designated | 24 February 1958 |
| Reference no. | 1237737[1] |
Boadicea and Her Daughters is abronze sculptural group in London representingBoudica, queen of theCelticIceni tribe, who led an uprising inRoman Britain. It is located to the north side of the western end ofWestminster Bridge, nearPortcullis House andWestminster Pier, facingBig Ben and thePalace of Westminster across the road. It is considered themagnum opus of its sculptor, the English artist and engineerThomas Thornycroft.[3] Thornycroft worked on it from 1856 until shortly before his death in 1885, sometimes assisted by his sonWilliam Hamo Thornycroft, but it was not erected in its current position until 1902.
The statue portraysBoudica (commonly written as "Boadicea" in the Victorian era), Queen of theIceni tribe ofBritons,[4] accompanied by her two daughters, mounted on ascythed chariot drawn by two rearing horses. The chariot is based on Roman models, not native British or Iceni models, and has ascythe blade attached to each wheel. The queen stands upright, in a flowing gown, with a spear in her right hand and her left hand raised. Her daughters, with bared breasts, crouch in the chariot, one to either side of their mother. None of them holds reins to control the horses.
.jpg)
The statue was commissioned in the 1850s, after Thornycroft made an equestrian statue ofQueen Victoria which was exhibited at theGreat Exhibition in 1851. The statue was praised by Queen Victoria andPrince Albert, and they were involved with Thornycroft's new project.[3] Albert intended the monumental statue to be erected over the central arch ofDecimus Burton's entrance toHyde Park, and asked Thornycroft to make a "throne upon wheels". Parallels were drawn between Victoria and Boudica, whose name also means "victory". Albert lent two horses as models, and the statue bears some resemblance to a young Queen Victoria. Albert died in 1861 before the statue was completed.
Thornycroft completed a full size model of the work before his death in 1885, but there was no funding for it to be cast in bronze. An earthwork known as "Boadicea's Grave" on the north side ofParliament Hill was excavated in 1894, although no grave was found, but Thornycroft's son,John Isaac Thornycroft suggested the site would be appropriate for the location of his father's long-delayed monumental statue, but £6,000 for the casting in bronze was still not available. A committee was formed to raise funds by subscription. The necessary money was raised by 1898, and the statue was cast by the founderJ. W. Singer in Frome for just £2,000, although there was still no site for it to be erected.
Thornycroft's statue was not installed until 1902, more than 17 years after his death. It was erected atWestminster Pier in June 1902, mounted on a large granite plinth byThomas Graham Jackson. Inscriptions were added to the plinth in 1903; that on the front of the plinth readsBOADICEA/(BOUDICCA)/QUEEN OF THE ICENI/WHO DIED A.D. 61/AFTER LEADING HER PEOPLE/AGAINST THE ROMAN INVADER. The right side of the plinth contains an inscription with text fromWilliam Cowper's poemBoadicea, an ode (1782):REGIONS CAESAR NEVER KNEW/THY POSTERITY SHALL SWAY. An inscription on the plinth's left side reads,THIS STATUE BY THOMAS THORNYCROFT/WAS PRESENTED TO LONDON BY HIS SON/SIR JOHN ISAAC THORNYCROFT C.E./AND PLACED HERE BY THELONDON COUNTY COUNCIL/A.D. 1902.[2]
The statue is located in a busy position, with traffic from theEmbankment and many pedestrian tourists passing from theWestminster Abbey,Parliament Square andWhitehall to the west over the bridge past theSouth Bank Lion towardsCounty Hall, theLondon Eye, andJubilee Gardens on theSouth Bank. Its plinth is often obscured behind a souvenir stall. It became a Grade IIlisted building in 1958.[5]
In 1980,Michael Wood described the depiction of "Boadicea" as resembling "Isadora Duncan as played byVanessa Redgrave."[6]
