A stone garden ornament is any decorative object of carved natural stone, or sometimes cast composition stone, placed in a garden or landscape. Typical forms include urns, vases, finials, statues, busts, sundials, bird baths, fountains, staddle stones, troughs, balustrades and decorative plinths and pedestals.
Garden ornament in Britain developed alongside formal garden design in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when landowners placed classical statues and urns along terraces, avenues and parterres, often inspired by Italian and French examples. Portland, Bath and other limestones, sandstone and marble were all used, and in the late eighteenth century Coade stone, a durable ceramic artificial stone, allowed fine detail to be reproduced. The Victorians and Edwardians commissioned much garden statuary, and reconstituted stone became common in the twentieth century. Collectors value carved natural stone over cast pieces and look for weathering, lichen and a soft surface consistent with age, along with crisp original detail. Frost damage, delamination, cement repairs and recently aged reproductions are common concerns. A single well-placed urn or figure can give structure, focus and a sense of maturity to any garden.
