Legendary Scottish Large Full Length Alabaster Statue of “Highland Mary” after the original by English Sculptor Benjamin Edward Spence (1822-1856)

This alabaster statue of “Highland Mary” is after an original work in marble created by the English sculptor Benjamin Edward Spence (1822-1856) in 1852. It depicts Mary Campbell, a lover and the subject of several poems by the infamous poet Robert Burns. Spence produced several versions of the statue, including one commissioned by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria.

The alabaster statue portrays a barefoot young woman standing and gazing downwards. She is wrapped in a long, heavily fringed tartan shawl, which is gathered at her throat. In her right hand, she holds a book, which is thought to represent the Bible that she and Burns exchanged during their final farewell. At the statue’s base, a spray of thistle flowers adds an authentic Scottish touch. Mary Campbell, known as “Highland Mary,” had a brief but intense love affair with poet Robert Burns in 1786. She died later that year, and her death profoundly affected Burns, who later wrote the song “Highland Mary” in her memory.

Spence was a neoclassical sculptor who worked in Rome. The statue combines the grace of a classical figure with romantic and realistic elements, such as the Scottish dress and a modern historical subject. Spence’s statue was a great success and a plaster version was exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851. The first marble version was commissioned in 1852 by Charles Meigh, a Liverpool merchant. Prince Albert commissioned a version in 1854 as a birthday gift for Queen Victoria; it is now in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace. Another well-known version is located in the Palm House at Sefton Park in Liverpool. Their affair was popularized in the nineteenth century and became appealing to the Romantic Victorians because it combined elements of a tragic real story that had turned into national myth and legend.

Dimensions: height 25″ x width 8.5″ x depth 5″ x circular base 8″