The Wounded Soldier
These two wooden sculptures can be seen in a showcase of the St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum in London.
"Traditionally described as a wounded soldier, this painted wooden figure dates to the mid-17th century and was possibly used as a sign outside a ward or the entrance to the Hospital. There is a companion figure, without legs, which may have been fixed high up on a building. No record has been found of how the Hospital acquired these statues. They are first referred to in the Hospital archives in 1657 when an order was issued to paint them in oil"1.
- Photos by ti.supmacinu|ihgrob.l#ihgroB acuL (July 2011), courtesy of Barts and The London NHS Archives.
- Locate the item on this Google Map