Maquette for Geelong Grammar School war memorial

This is a small modeling clay study (maquette) for the final large scale bronze for the Geelong Grammar School war memorial. The work was commissioned by the Old Geelong Grammarians Association to commemorate the 88 old boys who were killed during the First World War. The piece is composed of a central male figure wearing loin armoury, who drives a sword into an enormous bird. At his feet are two Australian soldiers, one representing the Light Horse in Palestine and the other from the French trenches. Two large scale bronzes exist; one at the Geelong Grammar School and the second in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. The maquette was cut into three or more pieces so it could be worked on in different parts of the artist’s studio. At a later date Arthur Murch who helped Lambert, tried to reconstruct the sculpture, joining the three pieces with modelling clay and adding resin/fiberglass. The maquette is still in three main pieces along with a number of smaller pieces that are difficult to ascertain as to their original position.