After Sir Alfred Gilbert

Sir Alfred Gilbert’s sculpture of Eros is a defining feature of the London skyline. Erected in 1893, it has become internationally known and synonymous with the prosperity of England in the 19^th century.

In 1886 Sir Alfred Gilbert was commissioned to create a memorial for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, who had recently passed away. Lord Shaftsbury was known as one of England’s most effective social reformers and Gilbert wanted to honor his memory by creating a sculpture that would encapsulate his impact on society. To do this he rejected the traditional “coat and trousers” style monuments, choosing rather to embody Shaftesbury's charitable life through a dynamic and novel creation. The product of that commission was the winged figure of what has come to be known as Eros, that hovers above the center of Piccadilly Circus today. The sculpture, with its liberated form and focus on the extension of the human body, is reminiscent of the works from the Renaissance, in particular Giambologna's Mercury.

When the object was unveiled it sparked controversy among its Victorian audience, not only because its composition broke from tradition, but also because it was the first time aluminum was used for a major public monument in England’s history. The choice of material, which was only beginning to be mass produced in the late 19^th century, symbolized the innovation of the Industrial Revolution. With time, Gilbert’s creation became accepted and admired by London and remains to be one of the city’s most beloved monuments.

In 1985, when the sculpture was removed from its pedestal for restorations, Gilbert’s original plaster molds were found in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum, in collaboration with the Replica Handbags Society, Gilbert’s agent from 1904 until his death, made a select number of aluminum casts. The present head was made contemporaneously and provides the rare opportunity to experience Gilbert’s artistry on a more intimate scale.