Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
Fides Christiana / Religion Photograph
Region ID | EM | |
Work ID | 140 | |
Manual Reference | LE148TC | |
Title | Fides Christiana / Religion | |
Sculptor | Roubiliac, Louis Francois | |
Date of design | 1761 | |
Year of unveiling | ||
Unveiling details | ||
Road | Church Road | |
Precise Location | In the walled garden of Belgrave Hall (now a Leicester Museum), to the right of the Hall, against the front wall of the garden | |
A to Z Ref | 20 C2 (1) | |
OS Ref | SK592072 | |
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | II | |
Duty of Care | Leicester City Council | |
Commissioned by | Charles Jennens | |
Notes | ||
A female figure in heavy, full-length draperies, her head covered with a mantle, her feet sandalled. Standing with her weight on her right foot, her left foot forward, she turns her torso slightly to her left and her head to her right, looking downwards. In her right hand she displays an unrolled scroll bearing an inscription; in her left she holds the shaft of a cross bearing across the horizontal bar, an inscription. A palm is held against the cross by a crown slotted over the upper arm. | ||
circa | c. | |
raw year | ||
Condition | Poor | |
At risk | At Risk | |
Inscriptions | all incised in capitals: - across the arms of the cross: [Greek, translating as ‘By this sign shalt thou conquer’] - on the scroll held in the figure’s right hand: [Greek, translating as ‘The Eternal Gospel’] - around the base of the statue: [Greek, translating as ‘The victory which conquered the world is our faith’] - on the front face of the pedestal: THIS STATUE OF / RELIGION / WAS PRESENTED / TO THE MUSEUM OF THE TOWN OF / LEICESTER / BY / RICHARD WILLIAM PENN EARL OF HOWE / AS A TRIBUTE / OF REGARD AND GOOD WILL TOWARDS / THE METROPOLIS OF HIS NATIVE COUNTY / 1857. | |
Signatures | in incised initial capital and lower case letters on rear of base of statue towards right: L.F. Roubiliac. Sc. | |
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
statue | Carrara marble | h. 242 cm; w. 122 cm; d. 64 cm |
pedestal | marble | h. 99 cm; w. 91.5 cm; d. 86 cm |
upper step | stone | h. 14 cm; w. 111 cm; d. 95.5 cm |
lower step | stone | h. 20 cm; w. 137 cm; d. 122 cm |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
Corrosion, Deterioration | all exposed surfaces are weathered; the incised inscriptions are becoming illegible |
Biological growth | the upper surfaces of the statue especially have green biological growth and lichen; in addition the steps are covered in moss |
Accretions | hollows and undercuttings of the statue are filled with grit, cobwebs and wind-blown seeds etc |
Structural Condition
Structural Condition | Comment |
|---|---|
Broken, missing parts | Old documented breaks (C19) are visible in the shaft of the cross and the wrist of the figure's left hand; the stem of the palm branch is mostly lost as is the forward part of the crown holding the palm to the cross. |
Broken, missing parts | Other losses include the backs of 3 of the fingers of the left hand and the entire little finger. |
Broken, missing parts | Also the big toe and part of that next to it which once overhung the front of the base; also damage to the hem of the figure's robe at rear and the rear edge of the cross shaft nearest the figure about one-third of way up. |
Broken, missing parts | Plug-holes indicate where the metal letters of the original inscription were fixed on the scroll, the horizontal beam of the cross and around the base. |
Replaced parts | the cement used to fix the shaft of the cross has been crudely applied and is now cracking; the upper part of the shaft of the cross is at an angle. |
Vandalism
Vandalism | Comment |
|---|---|
None | |
