VICTORIA
Detail of The Victoria Memorial, featuring, in this instance, Queen Victoria herself. This is part of a monument to the good old Queen, positioned at the end of The Mall in London, right in front of Buckingham Palace, so the current Queen can see it from the small garret window top right of the Palace frontage, where she often stands and watches ordinary people. So I believe. Anyway, it was designed and executed by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock. Designed in 1901, it was unveiled on 16 May 1911, though it was not completed until 1924. It was a slower pace of life then. It is a fine, very baroque study of all sorts of Imperialist Stuff, and quite magnificent in all its kitschy magnificence. It is topped, unsurprisingly, by a gilded bronze Winged Victory, standing on a globe and with a victor's palm in one hand. Although it is not out of place where it currently resides, and is a familiar asnd reassuring presence, it is, while not actually hideous, (although it must be admitted, beautifully executed), rather over the top for present-day tastes. I predict that in about 2032 it will come back into fashion, and be celebrated as an example of what we should all aspire to.
VICTORIA
Detail of The Victoria Memorial, featuring, in this instance, Queen Victoria herself. This is part of a monument to the good old Queen, positioned at the end of The Mall in London, right in front of Buckingham Palace, so the current Queen can see it from the small garret window top right of the Palace frontage, where she often stands and watches ordinary people. So I believe. Anyway, it was designed and executed by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock. Designed in 1901, it was unveiled on 16 May 1911, though it was not completed until 1924. It was a slower pace of life then. It is a fine, very baroque study of all sorts of Imperialist Stuff, and quite magnificent in all its kitschy magnificence. It is topped, unsurprisingly, by a gilded bronze Winged Victory, standing on a globe and with a victor's palm in one hand. Although it is not out of place where it currently resides, and is a familiar asnd reassuring presence, it is, while not actually hideous, (although it must be admitted, beautifully executed), rather over the top for present-day tastes. I predict that in about 2032 it will come back into fashion, and be celebrated as an example of what we should all aspire to.