Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832
Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832

Sir John Steell RSA (1804-1891): Monumental Carved Sandstone Group, 'Providence with Widow and Children', circa 1832

€9.850,00Tax included.

A monumental carved sandstone figure group by Sir John Steell RSA, Scotland's foremost sculptor of the nineteenth century and Sculptor to the Queen in Scotland from 1838. Commissioned in 1832 as his first architectural work, it crowned the entrance of the Scottish Widows' Fund head office at 5 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh. Providence stands at the centre with a cornucopia spilling fruit and grain; to her left a child bears a sheaf of wheat, to her right a shawled widow is seated with her children beside a founding stone dated MDCCCXV, the year of the society's establishment. Two pediment corners, carved with a plough amid wheat and with an anchor, complete the group. A work of national importance for a garden, courtyard or institutional setting.

Provenance: Scottish Widows, Edinburgh and Glasgow, 1832 to c. 1970; Donald Mackenzie and by descent; Lyon & Turnbull, 2017; Lyon & Turnbull, lot 602, May 2025; acquired by Urnica.
Condition: Weathered surface consistent with over a century outdoors; overall in stable condition for age. Condition report available on request.
Dimensions: Overall approximately 182 × 250 cm
Materials: Sandstone
Maker: Sir John Steell RSA
Origin: Scotland
Date: Circa 1832

Shipping quoted on request; collection from Meda welcome.

Shipping and collection

Antiques are not parcels. Small pieces that fit a box are sent by courier at a calculated rate; anything that needs a crate or two people is quoted individually, usually within a day. Collection from the house in Meda is always welcome, and we can hold a piece for you until you are ready.

Condition, honestly

Every piece is described the same way: what it is, where it has been, and exactly what has been restored. Losses, repairs and replaced parts are stated in the entry and photographed. If something is not mentioned, it is original. Ask us anything before you buy — a written condition report and further photographs are available on request.

Returns

Buyers in the European Union may return a piece within fourteen days of delivery without giving a reason, in the condition in which it was received; the direct cost of the return journey is borne by the buyer. We would rather you asked every question first — a piece that arrives exactly as described rarely goes back.

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