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Edinburgh is a city bursting with statues and monuments, often representing likenesses of real people, sometimes showing allegorical representations of classical virtues - and one sculptor links some of the most iconic or prominent figures that you will find looking down on you from the city's buildings... John Rhind was born in 1828 and grew up during the boom of Victorian development in Edinburgh, when much of the Old Town was being renovated or 'improved' to transform it from a crowded medieval city into the historic space it is today. As such, Rhind contributed statues, carvings, monuments and figures to a variety of structures in the city. Here's my pick of his works that are most likely to catch your eye during a visit to Edinburgh...  The Mercat Unicorn Right in the heart of the Old Town stood the original Mercat Cross, a symbol of Edinburgh's status as a market town, around which traders would gather to conduct their business. The original cross was dismantled in the 1750s, and the version which stands near St Giles' Cathedral today is an 1860s recreation which features only a few pieces of stonework from the original. John Rhind was commissioned to sculpt the decorative unicorn which stands atop the Mercat Cross, itself a reproduction of the original - the unicorn being the national animal of Scotland.  The Goddess Nike Another non-real subject of Rhind's work is the statue representing the goddess Nike, the figure representing victory, who stands at the top of the dome of the former Bank of Scotland headquarters on the Mound. Now the home of the Museum on the Mound, a museum of money, commerce and finance, the building was a redevelopment by the architect David Bryce, and Rhind's statue of Nike overlooks the Old Town, with laurel wreaths in her hands. In the classical mythology, Nike was a winged goddess, and as such is often represented in flight - the symbol of the Nike sportswear brand is a reference to this. But look closely at Rhind's statue of Nike and you'll notice she doesn't have any wings at her back - that was an artistic decision made with respect to Edinburgh's elevated setting and its reputation as being a windy city. If our Nike had wings she possibly would not stay at the top of the building for very long! (The statue is sometimes listed as being Fame - but Fame typically carries a trumpet rather than laurel wreaths.)  Joseph McIvor Rhind was not restricted to fictional or allegorical figures. Above the entrance to Paisley Close on the Royal Mile is the face of a young boy named Joseph McIvor. He was the best-known survivor of the building which collapsed in November 1861, killing people in their beds and leading to the wholesale renovation of Edinburgh which followed. When Paisley Close was rebuilt, Joseph McIvor was immortalised in the stonework above the entrance to the lane, with a ribbon over his head bearing the words he is reputed to have shouted when he feared the rescuers were about to give up looking for survivors - "Heave away lads, I'm no' dead yet!" Actually the ribbon suggests he shouted 'heave away chaps', though I find it hard to imagine a Scottish boy in the 19th century using such a refined word as 'chaps'! The building later became known as Heave-away House.  Monument to Catherine Sinclair Another real-life figure is celebrated in a monument Rhind created in the New Town, celebrating Catherine Sinclair. It's one of the few large-scale memorials to a historical woman in Edinburgh, and celebrates her work as a children's author and a social reformer. Sinclair had been born (and lived) nearby on Charlotte Square, one of 13 children to John Sinclair and Diana MacDonald - and, according to local legend, not one of the children was less than six feet tall! Catherine Sinclair was a friend of Sir Walter Scott's, and is credited with being the person who first discovered that the novels which he had published under a pseudonym was really his, and encouraged him to publicly own his reputation - which he did, to great effect! She was also an author in her own right, having written a children's novel entitled Holiday House: A Book for the Young, which was an early example of fantasy stories for children. The monument to Sinclair was designed by David Bryce, and sculpted by John Rhind.   Faces on the National Museum of Scotland Above the original entrance to the National Museum of Scotland are some of Rhind's earliest public works. There are six faces peering out from the stone work - above the centre doorway are Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who had established the museum itself in 1861, and on either side of them are likenesses of James Watt, Charles Darwin, Michaelangelo and Isaac Newton. Outside the museum, on Chambers Street, is a statue of the man who gives the road its name - Sir William Chambers, sculpted by John Rhind. Chambers had been a lord provost of Edinburgh and oversaw the improvements of the 1860s, as well as helping to create the legend of Greyfriars Bobby...  Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle Within Edinburgh Castle's Great Hall - restored in the 1880s - is a huge fireplace graced by four allegorical figures sculpted by John Rhind. May, Flora, Aurora and Venus (each of them, by necessity, bare breasted...!) stand over the hearth, though most people's attention when they visit the room is on the array of weaponry, armour and the hammerbeam roof above their heads, so Rhind's little women get a little lost in the grandeur of the space. As a member of the Freemasons, Rhind attended lodge meetings at Edinburgh Lodge (Mary's Chapel) No.1 on Hill Street in the New Town, and served as its master in the mid-1860s. He created a vast array of work, including graves, features within St Giles' Cathedral, as well as contributing several statues to the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens, and was honoured for his skill and creativity by getting elected as an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy. He died just a few days after receiving that honour, in 1892.
But keep your eyes peeled as you explore the city of Edinburgh, and doubtless some of the faces gazing upon you were created by the hands of this impressive master mason. Discover more of Edinburgh's artistic history with my private city walking tours! Comments are closed.
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