Scone Mare and Foal

Guess the weight of this bronze masterpiece portraying a mare and her foal? And while pondering, consider the weight of the sturdy stone foundation supporting their graceful form. Now, reach out and touch the sculpture. Is the metal surface velvety smooth or subtly textured? Hop on. Take a photo. Notice how the bronze feels cool against the skin; that's thanks to bronze's remarkable thermal conductivity.

The Mare and Foal, fixed to a six tonne foundation, was unveiled by the Hon Eric Bedford MP, in Elizabeth Park on March 3, 1982. The sculpture cost AUD65,000. A time capsule is buried in the Park which lists the donors and history of the Scone Mare and Foal.

The Artist, Gabriël Sterk, was born in the Netherlands in 1942 and won his first prize at the age of sixteen for a portrait painted in Adelaide, Australia. He returned to the Netherlands and it was at Amsterdam’s Royal Academy that he honed his skills as a sculptor. Laureate of the Prix de Rome at the age of twenty seven, he achieved immediate recognition as a sculptor. He lives in France in the Aix-en-Provence.