Chaucer, Pilgrim Poet
Commissioned by Canterbury Commemoration Society
Geoffrey Chaucer, 1343-1400, author of The Canterbury Tales.
Bronze 2.3m high (7ft 6in)
The statue of Geoffrey Chaucer was unveiled in Canterbury, Kent, on October 12th, 2016:
Location: At the junction of Best Lane and High Street, facing Eastbridge Hospital
Artist: Sam Holland
Unveiler: Simon Armitage, Professor of Poetry at Oxford University and the University of Sheffield
Cost: £200,000, funded by donations, grants, and fundraising
Features: A life-sized bronze statue of Chaucer dressed as a Canterbury pilgrim, with a large plinth in the shape of a horse's foot
Plinth: The plinth features the faces of local people who contributed to the statue, including Canterbury-born actor Orlando Bloom as the Young Squire and Michel Piquet, owner of Cafe St Pierre, as the Cook
Purpose: To recognize Chaucer's important association with the city and his role as a founding father of English poetry
Sam’s interpretation depicts Chaucer representing himself as one of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, part kindly old man and part all-seeing soothsayer. It follows months of research with historians and costume experts to ensure the period details, including his accessories, are correct.
The sculpture also features the faces of city local personalities around a plinth each one representing characters from his greatest work, 'Canterbury Tales’.
Chaucer holds the writing on the vellum of the opening text of the 'Canterbury Tales', reminding us that 'Canterbury Tales' became one of the first printed books: the printers' blocks for Chaucer's name appear on the top of the plinth.
Chaucer faces the Eastbridge Hospital, where many pilgrims heading for the cathedral spent the night.
Chaucer in Canterbury
© the copyright holders. Image credit: Tim Rebeiro / Art UK
