| Place | Oceania: Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART90765 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 29.6 x 29.8 x 18.0 cm |
| Object type | Sculpture |
| Physical description | plaster cast reinforced with fibre, watercolour wash and pencil grid marks |
| Maker |
Bowles, Leslie Ewers, Raymond Boultwood |
| Place made | Australia: Victoria, Melbourne |
| Date made | c. 1939 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Gurnet gargoyle
Description
This plaster model for a gargoyle depicts the head of a gurnet. The plaster model was created in the studio of William Leslie Bowles in Melbourne with the assistance of sculptor, Ray Ewers. In 1940 and 1941 the plaster cast was used as the template for a stonemason to carve an in-situ sandstone gargoyle in the cloisters of the Commemorative Courtyard of the Australian War Memorial.
The Gurnet (or Gurnard) commonly called gurnards, have a relatively large bony plated head and narrow body with numerous spines. They are commonly red, though may be mottled red/ black with a white belly. The fin colouration normally mimics the body colours. Gurnards have rough scales and hard sharp bony plates around the gill covers. They have large eyes and very sharp poisonous spines. Gurnards are members of the family Scorpaenidae or Scorpionfish. which includes the tropical stonefish. These fish are capable of a powerful sting.