Statue of Queen Victoria

Charles Bell Birch received his first commission for a Jubilee statue from the Maharana of Oodeypore (Udaipur) in 1887. It was unveiled two years later by the Duke of Clarence during his tour of India. Birch’s statue was made of Carrara marble and carved in London, but the pedestal was of “native materials and workmanship, executed from drawings and models supplied by the sculptor,” thus literally fusing the imperial import with local resources. At least eight versions, all in bronze, were made from Birch’s original model over the next two decades. Although not all were commissioned as Jubilee memorials, the event had stimulated the demand for the statues.