The new statue of Queen Elizabeth II has received mixed reviews. One critic said it looked more like “an old woman buying potatoes at a market” than Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
The statue of the Queen, who dies in September 2022 at the age of 96, was unveiled last week at Antrim Castle Gardens Park in Northern Ireland, and also features her husband Prince Philip and their two beloved corgi dogs.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said at the unveiling that the artwork “depicts the Queen in a dignified pose, reflecting her modesty, fortitude and lifelong dedication to public service.”
The local authority posted photographs of artist Anto Brennan’s work on its social media sites, but closed comments following adverse comments.
One online commenter even compared her to Robin Williams’ elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Doubtfire, in the 1993 Hollywood comedy-drama.
While the council acknowledged the art could give rise to “diverse views”, it said it was “pleased” by the “generally positive” response.
Ivor Ritchie, 67, who was walking his dog in the garden on Wednesday, described the statue as “appalling”. “It doesn’t look like him at all, it looks like the man on the moon,” he said.
“I don’t think it looks like his face at all,” said another passerby, Eddie Smith, a 52-year-old labourer, also from Antrim, half an hour north-west of Belfast.
British tourist Lorraine Barker, 58, agrees. “The Corgis are actually better than the Queen,” she told AFP.
The statue, one of the first statues of the Queen to be erected in Britain since her death, is attracting growing interest – and curious visitors to the 400-year-old garden.
“We came to see it because we heard people talking about it,” said Noel Wilson, 62, who came with his wife, Dorothy, 61, from the nearby town of Ballymena.
Hungarian tourist Gabor Laszlo, 50, had difficulty seeing the queen’s statue but said: “Prince Philip is fine.”
The Queen, who has reigned for 70 years, is pictured wearing a country jacket and tweed skirt, wearing a head scarf and carrying her trademark handbag.
Laszlo was unimpressed and said it made her look “like an old woman buying potatoes at the market.”
Yet this portrayal still has its fans.
British visitor Stephen Barker said: “It’s a really good reflection of how fondly and warmly the British public remembers him. I think it’s an excellent piece of work.”
For 90-year-old Canadian tourist Roy Hill, the work is “an amazing illustration, very impressive”.
“It brought back a lot of memories, I’m old enough to remember Queen Elizabeth being crowned when she was young,” he said.
Another local who came to walk in the park, Muriel McCandless, 81, expressed sympathy for the sculptor, who has not yet commented on the controversy.
“I actually think it’s quite nice,” she laughed.
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