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The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, officially and popularly known as Eros, is a fountain surmounted by a winged statue of Anteros, located at the southeastern side of Piccadilly Circus in London, England.
- It Isn't Actually Eros at All
- It's Modelled on A 15-Year-Old from Shepherd's Bush
- It Was The First London Statue to Be Cast in Aluminium
- It Was Very Controversial
- It Was Originally Intended to Be A Drinking Fountain
- It's Always Attracted Hooligans
- It Was A Financial, Career-Defining Disaster
- It Probably Doesn't Contain A Pun on 'Shaftesbury'
- It's Moved About A Bit
- It Was Once Made Into A Snowdome
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Most people know the statue isn't really of Eros, but Anteros, his twin brother. But that doesn't stop most Londoners referring to the statue by his erroneous name. Sculptor Alfred Gilbert was commissioned to create a memorial to Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, in 1886. Gilbert spent a long time considering how to celebrate the ...
The model for Anteros was Gilbert's diminutive Anglo-Italian studio assistant, Angelo Colarossi. According to the 1881 census, the large Colarossi family lived at 14 Masboro Road West, in Shepherd's Bush. Angelo's dad was also an artist's model, and you can see the pair of them in Frederick Leighton's 'And the sea gave up the dead which were in it....
Aluminium was a rather daring and novel choice for Gilbert's statue, but the results were worth it. Terry Cavanagh writes, "Gilbert has here taken full advantage of the lightness and tensile strength of aluminium — such an extreme displacement of the figure's centre of gravity could not have been sustained by one slender ankle had bronze been used....
When the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain was unveiled by the Duke of Westminster on 29 June 1893, lots of people were unimpressed. The complaints were plentiful: the memorial wasn't in a fitting part of town (Theatreland was seen as rather vulgar back then); the statue was too sensual to be an appropriate tribute to the respectable Earl. One society ...
As well as the rather obvious naked lad on top, there was a whole lot of of fuss about the 'fountain' beneath too. The long, drawn-out debacle about shape and size of the bronze base of the fountain is recorded hereon the British History website. In short: the base is too small, and the fountain failed to do what the sculptor intended: create a dom...
There's something about this particular piece of public art that just seems to attract vandals. Men have been coaxed down from their perches or broken bits off the statue throughout the decades: in 2016, 2012, 2011, 2002, and in the 1990s and 1980s. Only a fortnight after it was unveiled back in 1893, a gang of 30-odd boys turned the memorial into ...
Poor Alfred Gilbert. His commission was for £3,000, but the memorial cost him around £7,000; mainly because of the expensive copper base. His expenditure on the work marked the beginnings of financial difficulties, from which he struggled to recover. In 1901, Gilbert fled the UK for Bruges. His wife left him in 1904; she later died in a mental hosp...
It's a nice rebus. This archer is missing an arrow; he must've buried the shaftsomewhere. In 1893, the Shaftesbury Memorial Committee said firmly that 'The fountain itself is purely symbolical, and is illustrative of Christian charity', making no mention of the winged figure, whose downward pointing bow British History points out, 'has been, and st...
In February 1925, Eros was moved from his roundabout in the centre of Piccadilly to make space for the construction works enlarging Piccadilly Circus tube station. He flew over to Embankment Gardens, where he stood on a new concrete stand: the base was stored in Clapham. Eros was returned to Piccadilly Circus in 1931, in a different position to the...
In 2013, in an attempt to protect the statue from Christmas vandals and to simultaneously provide even more advertising opportunities in Piccadilly Circus, the statue was covered in an inflated plastic bubble, complete with fans and snow inside, making a 'snow-dome'. As with pretty much every other aspect of this seemingly cursed statue, the scheme...
Learn about the iconic statue in Piccadilly Circus, which is not really Eros but Anteros, the Greek symbol of selfless love. Discover how it was made, what it meant, and why it was so controversial and vandalised.
Learn about the history and significance of the winged archer statue in Piccadilly Circus, also known as Eros or Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. Find out what to do near the statue, such as shopping, theatre, museums and more.
- Piccadilly Circus, London, W1B 5RD
- First of All, It’s Not Actually a Statue of Eros. That’s right – even its common name is wrong. The statue is not that of Eros, the god of erotic love, it’s actually a statue of his sibling Anteros – the god of selfless love.
- It Stands on Shaftesbury Avenue, Which is Also Named After the Earl. The statue sits on Piccadilly Circus, at one end of Shaftesbury Avenue, which was also named after the Earl.
- It’s One of London’s Most Famous Sculptures. You might not have paid that much attention to it as you’ve pushed your way through the throngs at Piccadilly Circus but the Eros Statue is actually one of London’s best-known.
- There was a Fair Bit of Controversy About the Statue When it was Unveiled. Many people thought that its location in a seedier part of town and the fact that it’s of a nude boy were unfitting to commemorate the worthy Earl.
Learn about the history and significance of the statue at Piccadilly Circus, which is officially the 'Angel of Christian Charity' but also known as Eros or Anteros. Find out how to get there, what to see nearby and more attractions in the West End.
Mar 6, 2020 · Learn about the history and symbolism of the statue of Anteros, also known as Eros, on top of the Shaftesbury Monument in Piccadilly Circus. Discover the story of the Greek god of requited love, the Victorian philanthropist and the other attractions in the area.
People also ask
Did you know Piccadilly Circus has a statue of Eros atop his fountain?
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Historian David Ross of Britain Express looks at the famous statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, London, with a history of the statue, photos, and visiting information.
