Oxford University appeals for help to find its statues not seen for more than 200 years
Oxford's Trinity College has launched a public appeal to track down three towering statues that vanished more than two centuries ago.
The 9ft-tall figures, depicting astronomy, geometry and theology, once graced the chapel tower but have not been seen since the 1820s.
College archivist Clare Hopkins made the surprising discovery that the current statues are not the originals while preparing plans to replace the weathered figures that overlook Broad Street.
Ms Hopkins said: "The statues on the chapel tower are such an iconic part of Trinity College, and it is really frustrating that we have these gaps in their documented history."
The college hopes the missing sculptures may have found their way into a private garden, outbuilding or public space somewhere in the region.
The original sculptures were first erected between 1691 and 1694 during construction of the chapel tower, with a sketch from that period surviving after the college's president Ralph Bathurst sought advice from the celebrated architect Christopher Wren.
An Oxford stonemason removed all four figures in the early 1820s and installed replacements in their place.
Only one of the original quartet has a known fate: the statue representing medicine was relocated to a garden within Trinity College grounds, where it seemingly remains.
What became of the other three classical female figures depicting astronomy, geometry and theology is entirely unknown.
Ms Hopkins added: "It would be amazing if we could locate any of the 'missing' statues from the past and to learn what the stones themselves can tell us."
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The college is urging anyone who possesses or has encountered a stone statue or fragment that could match the missing works to come forward.
Particular interest lies in pieces featuring classical female forms, including heads, torsos or carved sections dating from either the late 17th or early 19th century with any connection to Oxford and its surrounding areas.
One possibility is that elements of the original sculptures were incorporated into the replacement statues, though they may equally have been rehomed elsewhere entirely.
A sketch of the original figures from the early 1690s has been uncovered, providing a reference point for identification.
Award-winning Oxford-based stone carver Alex Wenham has been commissioned to create new statues to replace the current weather-damaged figures on the chapel tower.
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