Garden statuary is the general term for statues, figures, busts and sculptural groups made to be placed outdoors in gardens, parks and landscapes. It includes classical gods and goddesses, allegorical figures of the seasons, animals, putti and portrait busts, made in stone, marble, lead, bronze, cast iron, terracotta and artificial stone.
In Britain garden statuary flourished in the formal gardens of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, when sculptors and workshops such as those of John van Nost and John Cheere supplied lead figures in large numbers to country houses. The eighteenth-century landscape garden used statues as focal points along walks and beside lakes and temples, and Coade stone offered weather-resistant moulded figures. Victorian makers produced composition and cast stone figures, while Italian marble copies of antique sculptures were widely imported. Collectors value pieces with established provenance, good modelling and a natural weathered surface of lichen and moss. Buyers should check for frost damage, cracking, corrosion and repairs, and for stability on the plinth. Theft of garden statuary is a known problem, so good records and secure fixing are advisable. Well placed, a single figure can transform a garden vista.
