Home / Arts and Entertainment / Decapitated Stevenson Statue Gets New Head
Decapitated Stevenson Statue Gets New Head
7 Feb
Summary
- A headless statuette of Robert Louis Stevenson was identified in archives.
- A new 3D-printed head was added to the statuette.
- The exhibit highlights diversity gaps in the university's collection.
A 2ft tall statuette of Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson, previously headless and unidentified in the University of Leeds archives, has been completed with a new 3D-printed head. This discovery was made during a project to scan the collection.
Scans identified the sculptor as David Watson Stevenson, leading curators to link the piece with a complete bronze statue at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery. The statuette is now on display as part of an exhibition celebrating the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery.
This exhibition also features 3D-printed miniature versions of other busts, created to make historical figures more accessible and fun. A key aim is to address and highlight the underrepresentation of minority groups within the university's collection.
The exhibition includes busts of notable figures like Einstein and Roman emperor Augustus, alongside university benefactors Lord Brotherton and Dorothy Una Ratcliffe, who are reunited after over 70 years.
