John Hunter's statue by Henry Weekes (1864)

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This marble statue of John Hunter was made by English Sculptor Henry Weekes and is now displayed in the entrance hall of The Royal College of Surgeons of England in London.

On 16th May 1859, the College decided to open a subscription "for the purpose of erecting a statue of JOHN HUNTER (…) The appeal for subscriptions met with a most gratifying response for it seemed that public interest in the life and work of this great man had been reawakaned after the publicity that his reinterment in Westminster Abbey had receive and no less a sum than £ 1,213 0s. 6d. was collected during the next five years. (…) Henry Weekes (1807-1877), already notable as a portrait-sculptor, was commissioned to execute the work which was in effect a reproduction in marble of Joshua Reynolds' famous portrait. This was completed early in 1864 and on 11th March of that year at a meeting of the Council of the College a letter from Mr. Weekes was read in which he requested permission to exhibit his work in the forthcoming Royal Academy Exhibition. On 13th October it was reported to the Council and in the Lancet (ii. p.197) that the statue had been placed 'in the south end of the Western Museum'; and there it remained until a few years ago when that part of the museum became due for demolition"¹.