About this piece
back to topThis weathered antique stone sculpture was reputedly carved by a student of 20th century British architect and artist, Sir Hugh Casson. It depicts a group of figures in high relief in a classical ancient Greek style manner. The figures are deeply carved and overlapped in what appears to be a fighting or pillaging scene. There is a partial signature in the bottom left hand corner that appears to read ‘Argyle’; part of the name or surname of Casson’s student.
Once part of a private collection, this carving is one of several that we have, believed to be made by students of Sir Hugh Casson. He was a Professor at the Royal College of Art between 1953 and 1975. He reputedly tasked his students with finding a piece of stone from a WW2 bomb-damaged building and creating a carving. This resulted in stone sculptures of various design that may well have formed an exhibition at the Royal College.
Sir Hugh Casson
Sir Hugh Casson (1910-1999) rose to fame in 1951 when he was appointed Director of Architecture for the Festival of Britain. It was for this that he received his knighthood, remaining in the public eye for the rest of his career. With his architectural firm, Casson designed many distinguished buildings including the Elephant House at London Zoo and the Arts Faculty at the University of Cambridge. In later years, he became known for his observant works of watercolour.
