Christ Child (sculpture)

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Christ Child
The Christ Child, St Martin-in-the-Fields.jpg
The sculpture in 2008
Christ Child (sculpture)
Year1999;24 years ago (1999)
TypeSculpture
Medium Portland stone
Subject Jesus
Location London, WC2
United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′32″N0°07′37″W / 51.508845°N 0.127009°W / 51.508845; -0.127009

Christ Child, also known as In the Beginning or the Millennium Sculpture, [1] is an outdoor sculpture by Michael "Mike" Chapman, located under the portico of St Martins-in-the-Fields at Trafalgar Square in London, United Kingdom. The opening text from the Gospel of John is inscribed around the sculpture: "In the beginning was the word and the word became flesh and lived among us". [1] Chapman has said of the sculpture: "For the millennium I was commissioned to produce a sculpture to be placed in Trafalgar square, during Christmas prior to the celebrations. It seemed to me that a tiny life-size baby carved from stone in such an enormous environment would be the best way to remind us all of just whose birthday we were celebrating. In a 4.5 tonne block of Portland stone, this work can be found at the entrance to the church." [2] It has been called "strikingly modern". [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 "St Martins-in-the-Fields, London: Trail Answers and Explanatory Notes for parents, teachers and accompanying adults" (PDF). St Martins-in-the-Fields. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  2. "Portfolio: Christ Child". MikeChapmanSculptor.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. Wayne, Robert S. (2004). Royal London in Context: The Independent Traveler's Guide to Royal London. Independent Int'l Travel. p. 40. ISBN   9780972022880. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2014.