Bronze garden sculptures

A sculpture cannot just be plonked down in the middle of a lawn! It's important to consider the viewing height, the base, and the surrounding colours.

Viewing heights

The height at which a piece is positioned is critical.

Each piece has its own 'best height' from which to be viewed. Most of my work is designed to be positioned below eye height but a lot depends on the scale of the surrounding area.

Reclining pieces can work well raised to a height of 30 cm or more in a small space, but outside they could go lower, especially if placed in an elevated location. Any bronze garden sculpture can be positioned lower if it's likely to be viewed from a distance, although some work is at its best when positioned at about eye height.

Bases for bronze garden sculptures

Some gardens seem made for sculpture. 'Found' positions, like low walls, old lumps of stone or wood, a funny little bench, an elevated mound, are perfect positions for garden sculpture. Searching for an object or spot already in the garden is the best starting point. This way the sculpture is more likely to look natural.

If a garden has no obvious 'found' bases, owners can buy or build a simple wooden, stone or brick base to support the sculpture. I own two beautiful marble plinths with round tops which show the work well. A large chunk of attractive wood or stone can also make the perfect base.

Getting the width and length of the base right is important. Ideally, it should be slightly wider and deeper than the base dimensions the sculpture. Over-hanging bits - with my work anyway - are a no-no, so it is important to judge the sizes correctly.

One technique is to cut an unobtrusively coloured piece of card to the approximate size of the base, place the reclining lady or whatever upon it, and see how it looks.

Colour contrasts

The colour of bronze garden sculptures also has a bearing on their placement.

Personally I like contrast, so a greeny bronze against a red shrub could look brilliant, but then again, as long as a piece is not swamped by the scale of its surroundings or completely camouflaged it can work just as well if it blends in with surrounding greenery.

Read more about positioning a large outdoor sculpture.

Here are valuable tips on cleaning bronze sculptures.

Other pages you might like:

Here's a page about After Botero, a large uncast garden sculpture inspired by Ferdinand Botero.

More large uncast garden sculptures by Vanessa Pooley.

Or go back to top of Bronze Garden Sculptures