A lead statue is a figure cast in lead, most often made for display in gardens, courtyards and on rooftops. Lead's low melting point and ease of casting allowed sculptors to reproduce detailed figures relatively cheaply, while the metal weathers to an attractive pale grey patina that suits the English landscape.
Lead garden statues were especially fashionable from the late seventeenth century to the mid eighteenth century, when yards around Hyde Park Corner in London supplied country houses with figures of classical gods, shepherds and shepherdesses, putti and allegories of the seasons. John van Nost, Andrew Carpenter and John Cheere were among the leading makers, and many of their designs were cast repeatedly. Lead statuary returned to favour in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, when the Bromsgrove Guild, Crowther of Syon Lodge and others produced fine figures. Collectors look at the quality of the modelling and casting, the patina, any evidence of earlier paint, and structural condition, as lead can creep and buckle, requiring internal armatures. Lead statues are vulnerable to theft, so they should be well secured. Their weathered surfaces bring authentic character to gardens.
