One of the world’s leading sculptors, Professor Michael Sandle RA, has donated a maquette to Tynwald.

Professor Sandle was a guest at this year’s Tynwald Day celebrations and presented the maquette, a proposal for a figure of Godred Crovan to be sited in Cooil y Ree in St John’s, to the President of Tynwald the Hon Clare Christian at the Tynwald Day banquet in the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall.

Michael Sandle studied at Douglas School of Art and Technology from 1951 to 1954 and at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1956 to 1959. He was appointed professor of sculpture at Pforzheim in 1973 and at Karlsruhe in 1980 and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1994.

A visit to the Island in 2003 to look at a potential site for the sculpture at the invitation of the then President of Tynwald Noel Cringle OBE led to the creation of the maquette. Professor Sandle said: ‘The maquette shows an equestrian figure of Godred Crovan dressed as an 11th century Viking pointing to the Milky Way as per the legend of his response to being asked where he had arrived from.

‘I decided to donate the maquette to Tynwald as a mark of my affection for the Island and appreciation of my being lucky enough to have been brought up and educated there from about the age of five.’

Madam President said: ‘The original vision of a sculpture in Cooil y Ree has not yet been realised, so we are overwhelmed that Professor Sandle, who is recognised as one of the greatest sculptors in the world, has so generously presented us with his concept for the statue in the form of this maquette. It is a great privilege to be able to join the world’s foremost museums and galleries in displaying his work and we shall do so with the extra pride which comes from claiming him as one of our own.’

The maquette is to go on display in the Legislative Buildings where it will be mounted on a plinth crafted by the Manx Workshop for the Disabled.

Photo, kindly provided by David Quirk MHK, shows Professor Michael Sandle RA and the President of Tynwald the Hon Clare Christian viewing the maquette.