Queen statue at York Minster: opinions divided on sculpture

The statue, which was unveiled by King Charles on Wednesday, has won praise for the skill of the stonemason, but also earned criticism on account of it making Her Majesty look "too fat".

One letter writer said the sculpture needed to be reworked, but another commentator said the statue was "a fine piece of work" and said credit was due to York Minster stonemason Richard Bossons who carved it.

We asked readers to give us their verdicts; and here are some of the replies.

One reader from Huntington gave it the thumbs up: "The statue is absolutely magnificent. It's much more than a statue, it's a permanent reminder of our greatest ever monarch. We will never forget what you did for our country and commonwealth and here is a perfect reminder."

Statue of the Queen at York Minster - what do you think of it? Let us know

Another reader said: "I think the statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II is a fine piece of work, all credit to Richard Bossons the York Minster Stonemason who carved it."

Read more: Queen statue at York Minster: 'They have made her too fat' - letter

However, Rod Brittle, of Wigginton, was not so impressed and said: "I think the stonemasons should have gone to SpecSavers!"

Virginia Culpin said: "It's horrible and looks more like fat Queen Victoria than our pretty Queen. I'm surprised Charles didn't say 'Get rid of it - it's monstrous!'"

Another reader said: "It doesn't look like the Queen, facially and bodily looks very heavy, she wasn't!"

And this reader thought likewise: "The face of the new statue totally fails to convey the Queen's lively spirit. It doesn't look like her in life."

Debra Holderness contacted us from Denver in the USA to give us her view: "It is horrible. Looks nothing like her. She is too fat."

However, on Facebook, many readers were more appreciative of the work.

Sue Hogarth said: "It’s her robe that’s making it look that way, I think the stonemason has done a brilliant job."

Donna Marie Popplewell added: "Nothing wrong with it."

And Sarah Camp posted: "It looks better when viewed from below, than head-on in some of the pictures. The stonemasons are used to having to skew perspective when making statues that will be seen from the ground. The St Peter high on the East Front is carved to be seen from below... it would look rather strange if it was closer to the ground."

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