Strike a pose
Homes & Antiques|August 2022
No matter what size your garden - and however green your fingers - antique statuary is an easy way to enhance your outdoor space
Jenny Oldaker
Strike a pose

Our fondness for ornamenting gardens is nothing new - the effigies of gods and mythical heroes that adorned the outdoor spaces of Ancient Greece and Rome are testament to that. The trend began to take hold in Britain around the 17th and 18th centuries, inspired in part by the al fresco fashions of Italy, where elegant ornamental gardens impressed the visiting Grand Tourists, and ornate fountains, stone pillars, and classical figures began to proliferate in the gardens of wealthy British trendsetters. Today, garden ornamentation is not merely the preserve of the rich, and statuary in myriad forms is an accessible way to add a finishing touch to any domestic outdoor space.

Whether you're tempted by a rustic trough or urn, or an ornate sundial or figure, statuary makes a striking all-season focal point for any garden. And although armies of new statuary abound in garden centres across the country, there's something about an antique piece that offers additional charm and interest. Even better, such pieces tend to come complete with their own weathered patina.

Lead statue of a water nymph (c1910), £2,800 (+VAT), Westland London.

Rare Coade stone figure of a seated man fetched £1,350 at Summers Place Auctions.

The best part about collecting garden ornaments is where and how you place them in the garden, in a way that complements the plants around them. You get to use your imagination, and you don't need to be a keen gardener to achieve spectacular results,' says James Rylands, Director of Summers Place Auctions, which specialises in garden statuary.

Esta historia es de la edición August 2022 de Homes & Antiques.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición August 2022 de Homes & Antiques.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE HOMES & ANTIQUESVer todo
48 hours in FUNCHAL
Homes & Antiques

48 hours in FUNCHAL

Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
Homes & Antiques

LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms

On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Homes & Antiques

Collecting NUTCRACKERS

Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Homes & Antiques

WHY I COLLECT Medals

Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
Fashionably CURATED
Homes & Antiques

Fashionably CURATED

Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
Work life balance
Homes & Antiques

Work life balance

Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
Farm FUSION
Homes & Antiques

Farm FUSION

A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
SAVVY Sophistication
Homes & Antiques

SAVVY Sophistication

Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
DARREN APPIAGYEI
Homes & Antiques

DARREN APPIAGYEI

The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
Homes & Antiques

Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS

From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place

time-read
4 minutos  |
Special 2024