A new statue has been unveiled at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania and curators believe it is the earliest known free-standing full-length sculpture in Australia.
The “highly detailed sandstone statue of a well-dressed colonial gentleman caught in the act of urination” was recently donated to the Hobart museum, who have been working to track down its origin.
Complete with once-functional plumbing, the museum believes that there is a “compelling case” that the 1.3-metre-tall figure is Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur.
“The provocative nature of the work suggests a political statement of contempt rather than a whimsical garden feature,” the museum said.
Experts speculate that the statue could have been crafted between May 1835 and early 1836, coinciding with the period when stonemason Daniel Herbert was working on constructing the Ross Bridge.
Museum President Chris Tassell said the extraordinary and mysterious statue is now on display to the public.
“Maritime Museum Tasmania is pleased to be able to present this remarkable and provocative sculpture and we invite the public to join us in unravelling the mysteries of Australia’s earliest known free-standing full-length statue,” he said.
