A life-size bronze statue of
Jan Smuts by the British artist
Jacob Epstein stands on the north side of
Parliament Square in London, United Kingdom, between a
statue of Lord Palmerston and a
statue of David Lloyd George.
Description
The statue depicts him in his military uniform as a
field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
, leaning forward with his left leg advanced, as if walking forward. The statue stands on a pedestal of granite from South Africa, which bears the inscription
JAN/ CHRISTIAN/ SMUTS/ 1870–1950.
History
After
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
won the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
in October 1951, he proposed erecting a statue in Parliament Square as a memorial to Smuts, who had died in September 1950. Churchill retired as
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
in 1955, and was too ill to perform the unveiling in November 1956; it was unveiled instead by the
Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings.
Systems that have such a position include:
* Speaker of ...
,
William Morrison. The statue became a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in 1970.
See also
*
List of sculptures by Jacob Epstein
References
External links
Jan Christian Smuts – Parliament Square, London, UKat Waymarking
Statue of Field Marshal Jan Smuts National Heritage List for England Historic England
Smuts statue londonremembers.com
Parliament Square Garden london.gov.uk
The Statues of Parliament Square Bowl Of Chalk – London Walking Tours, 12 November 2013
Bob Speel
Smuts Statue Unveiled 1956 Pathé
{{Public art in London, portrait sculpture
Bronze sculptures in the City of Westminster
Smuts, Jan
Jan Smuts
Monuments and memorials in London
Outdoor sculptures in London
Parliament Square
Sculptures by Jacob Epstein
Smuts, Jan