Large religious statues

A statue that looks large in a photograph often looks small in place. The eye judges a figure against what is around it: a ceiling, a hedge, a stone wall, a row of pews. The further away people stand, the larger the statue has to be to read as a person rather than an ornament. That is why, with outdoor and church statues, the usual mistake is not “too big” but “too small”.

Every statue page lists the height, width, depth and weight measured from the piece itself. Statues are sold at nominal sizes, so a piece described as 24in measures close to that rather than exactly. If you need a measurement that is not there, ask us and we will measure it.

In a church, a large statue usually stands on a plinth at the side of the sanctuary, in a Lady chapel or in a niche high in a wall. See church statues for sight lines and buying for a parish. In a grotto, Our Lady stands in a niche above the people, and her statue should fill it; see grotto statues.

In a garden, a large statue at the far end of a lawn or against a dark hedge is the traditional Irish arrangement. It must stand on a level, solid base and, in an exposed spot, be fixed to it. See garden statues for bases and care. Large statues are also chosen for cemeteries, memorial gardens and school grounds.

A large marble statue arrives crated and padded, brought by us rather than by a courier, and the delivery charge is on the statue’s page before you buy. The work on the day is the last few metres: the crate has to get from the road to the base. Walk that route beforehand with a tape measure, lay boards over soft lawn, and decide who will lift — the base should already be set, level and cured, because a heavy statue is not something to put down twice.

If nothing in the catalogue is big enough, or you need an exact height for a niche or a plinth, marble can be carved to order. Send us the measurements and a photograph of the place and we will quote before anything is made.