The Symbol of Discovery
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | East Row |
| Town: | Chichester |
| Parish: | Chichester |
| Council: | Chichester District Council |
| County: | West Sussex |
| Postcode: | PO19 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Outside building |
| and in: | Road or Wayside |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | Junction with Little London, outside the Chichester District Museum. |
| In the AZ book: | West Sussex |
| Page: | 140 |
| Grid reference: | C7 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Stanley Roth |
| Role: | Architect |
| Name : | John Skelton |
| Role: | Sculptor |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Stanley Roth |
| Installation date: | 1963 |
| Unveiling date: | 1963 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Chichester City Council |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | Depicts two hands cradling a man-made jewel of gold leaf set in perspex. The surrounding cobblestones are inscribed. |
| Inscription: | SYMBOL OF DISCOVERY Westmorland slate John Skelton Unveiled in 1963 by Sir Charles Wheeler PRA Museums present to the world the precious offerings of the earth JS |
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Classification
| Categories: | Sculptural, Free Standing, Composite |
| Object type1: | Sculpture |
| Subject type1: | Figurative |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Jewel |
| Material: | Gold leaf set in perspex |
| Part 2: | Plaque |
| Material: | Blue slate |
| Part 3: | Two hands |
| Material: | Kirkstone Westmoreland green slate |
| Height (cm): | 200 |
| Width (cm): | 60 |
| Depth (cm): | 25 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 01/05/2007 |
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History
| History: | Commissioned by Stanley Roth to stand on the forecourt of the Museum. Unveiled at opening of museum in 1963 by Sir Charles Wheeler.
'Constructed around the idea of a 'fragment', the form of the work has its roots in the discovery of antique remains, an idea that in the Romantic period became a symbol of loss. One of Henry Fuseli's most famous works shows a male figure bereft and weeping over the beauty of a large carved antique fragment. This metaphor for the lost totality, a vanished wholeness, looks back to the holy relics of saints, and Skelton's work draws on this tradition.' ('Chichester and the Arts: 1944-2004') |
| Hard archive file: | No |
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References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | 'Chichester and the Arts: 1944-2004' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Foster, Paul (Ed.). |
| Date: | 00/00/2004 |
| Publisher: | University College Chichester. |
Further information: | |
| http://www.johnskelton.org.uk/ | |
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Photographs
Date: 01/05/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/05/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/05/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/05/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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