“Queen Victoria” by Matthew Noble (bap.1817, d.1876)

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Queen Victoria

Matthew Noble (c.1817-1876)

1858

Carrarra marble on a polished red granite pedestal

Vestibule, Leeds Town Hall

The Headrow, Leeds

The royal opening of the new Town Hall in Leeds was a grand affair. The first thing that the Queen would have seen on entering the vestibule of the building was the statue of herself, executed by Matthew Noble. Above it was the fine domed ceiling, bearing the names of Europe, Asia, Africa and India — seemingly putting her at the very centre of the world. No wonder she knighted the Mayor of Leeds during the ceremony that followed [continued below].

Related Material

Leeds Town Hall

Prince Albert, in the opposite niche

Queen Victoria (homepage)

Photograph, caption and text by Jacqueline Banerjee, 2011.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly and educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

The statue was later re-sited in one of the two small apses at the far end of the vestibule, but it still makes an impression, partly because of the richly decorated background. The figure is greater than life-size (8' 6" high), and shows a still quite youthful Queen, not overburdened by ceremonial robes, head held high, dignified but also graceful. Of the four pieces by Noble in the vestibule, it is the most appealing. As Benedict Read points out, Leeds was one of the "major municipalities" then acting as "leading patrons of sculpture" (113).

Bibliography

Linstrum, Derek. "Town Hall." Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North. by Peter Leach, Nikolaus Pevsner and others. The Buildings of England series. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2009. 425-26.

Read, Benedict. Victorian Sculpture. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1982.

"The Opening of Leeds Town Hall." Discovering Leeds: Leeds Town Hall. Leeds City Council site. Web. 7 July 2011.

"Statues and Inscriptions." Discovering Leeds: Leeds Town Hall. Leeds City Council site. Web 7 July 2011.

Last modified 8 July 2011