Melville’s whale spawns another work of art

A 19th CENTURY whale that inspired Moby Dick author Herman Melville has spawned another work of art.

Sculptor Ilona Sulikova used the story of the whale, whose skeleton is housed at Burton Constable Hall, for a sea-themed piece now on show in the great hall of the stately home, which is now run by the Burton Constable Foundation.

It is one of 13 ceramic sculptures forming a new trail at the Elizabethan country house in East Yorkshire.

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Describing her thinking behind it, Ms Sulikova, who is based at Heslington, near York, said: “I was particularly inspired by the story behind the whale, and the family’s rights to goods washed up on the Holderness shores, to create an ocean-inspired scene.”

The whale washed up on a beach in Holderness in 1825 and its carcass was taken to the hall, which was then seat of Sir Thomas Clifford Constable. It it was mounted on a wrought iron framework in the park for visitors to examine.

Beverley-based sculptor Marie Lofthouse created seven of the ceramic artworks in the exhibition, which is entitled Echoes of the Past. Her work includes some finely crafted porcelain figures in various states of repose.

The hall already houses a range of collections from the Constable family.

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