Statues - Hither & Thither

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Chester
Cheshire
North West England

Bridge Street 55 Street / 61 Row

King Charles I and Biblical Scenes

King Charles I
Dunfermline Palace 1600 - Whitehall Palace 1649
King of England, 1625-1649
(Wikipedia)

artist unknown
1889

Chester / King Charles I and Biblical Scenes

Description

Half-timbered house with exuberant "Tudor" facade built in 1889 by architect Thomas Edwards as an art gallery fir David Sherratt. In the facade is a niche with a large statue of a King Charles with sword, sceptre and orb. Below the niche are eight panels with Biblical scenes.
There seems to be no sense to this particular choice of biblical symbolism, except perhaps that many, if not all, of the subjects had also been the subject of paintings. Some of these paintings are associated with the court of Charles I - such as those by Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (1563-1639).

Chester - King Charles I and Biblical Scenes
"and departed into egypt"
and
"in whom i am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).

"susanna and the two elders"
(Daniel book 13 - considered apocryphal by Protestants).
and
"joseph and his mistress"
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (Genesis 39:7-20)
Chester - King Charles I and Biblical Scenes
"i call for my friends"
Does not seem to be a biblical quote. Probably based on the story of the unfaithful bride kidnapped by the devil, from Abraham a Sancta Clara, Heilsames Gemisch Gemasch, das ist: Allerley seltsame und verwunderliche Geschichten (Nuremberg: Christoph Weigel, 1704).
and
"Cain and Abel"
Chester - King Charles I and Biblical Scenes
"Jeremiah"
in the stocks
and "praise him upon the harpe"
King David, Psalm 33 or 150.

Sculptor

Unknown artist. Do you know who the sculptor is? please let us know.

Sources & Information

Chesterwiki, Bridge Street Nr 55.
Historic England, Number 61 Street, Bridge Street and Row.

Locatie (N 53°11'20" - W 2°53'27") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gbnw150; Photograph: 25 June 2023
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
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© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt