Something on Saturday

The other day, while it was still summer, I went on a wander round the neighbourhood. I knew there had been a lot of improvements at South Hill Park, and I had previously wandered round the new paths through the woods. But this time the bright sun brought another restoration to my attention.

I have been interested in this sculpture that is at the back of the mansion near the formal garden and the patio area for the café. I thought the patina which had developed was unique.

It took me a while to actually work out what it was meant to represent. and then when I 'saw' it, it seemed so obvious.
An acrobat holding a ball on her feet.

I wanted to find out more about the sculptor. But I guess the art centre was more concerned about what went on inside than outside at that point - anyway no one knew.

So, fast forward to the sun reflecting off the 'same' sculpture last week.

But research sheds a bit more light - The sculpture on the site now, is actually a reproduction because of the deterioration of the original by Robert Carruthers, made in 1983. It seems to be referred to as Angel.

This one was sculpted by Nick Speakman. If you follow the link, you can see photos of Nick at work making the new piece side by side with the original.
The metal work on the sculpture was done by Diccon Dadey.