| Description Of Item | This fully draped figure appears to be holding a scroll in her right hand. This may be a reference to Clio, the muse of history, who is traditionally depicted with a set of tablets or a scroll, although it is usually open. In any case, the presence of this figure emphasises the uncertainty which surrounds the identity of the female figures in the hall’s statues as only one of these figures (number 3) has an apparent link to Hygeia.
In total 24 female figures stand above the architrave in the Great Hall. However, there are only eight unique figures in the set as figures 4, 5, 7 and 8 are repeated twice, whilst figures 1 – 3 and 6 are repeated four times.
In 1865 the Great Hall was expanded under the architect David Bryce, who ordered the roundel portraits and high relief figures from George MacCallum. The female figures cost £17 each and the entire group of 24 came to the considerable total of £408. However, whilst MacCallum was paid for the pieces it cannot be conclusively stated that he was responsible for their creation, as he may have purchased the figures from another source, potentially D. Brucciani & Co. who were major manufacturers of plaster casts of classical sculptures during this period.
It has been suggested that these classical female statues may be intended to represent Hygeia, who is also depicted in a statue above the main portico. However, as all of the figures in the hall, with the exception of figure three, are represented without the traditional symbols of Hygeia, the snake and cup, it is not possible to definitively conclude on the identity of these classicised female figures. Therefore, it is possible that these figures were chosen for their aesthetic effect rather than any symbolic importance.
Artist: Unknown |