Granite: 5 x 5 x 4ft. 3 tonnes. Location: on exhibition at Edinburgh’s West End.  For Sale

Edinburgh’s West End has welcomed an exotic new resident as part of a drive to establish the city’s ‘plinth’ for public art.

Baby Elephant, by Scottish sculptor Ronald Rae, has been installed on the corner of Hope Street and Princes Street, which has been earmarked as a space for visiting art by the Council.

The 3 tonne, life-sized baby elephant follows close on the hooves of the Kelpies maquettes which occupied the space over the summer of 2015.

Rae, who also created the Lion of Scotland sculpture on loan to St Andrew Square Edinburgh, made the Baby Elephant to highlight the endangered status of elephants both African and Asian, whose numbers are dwindling drastically every year.

Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “This generous loan from Ronald Rae will provide a welcome addition to the city’s vibrant West End, which recently underwent a series of improvements.

“It is our intention to bring the area to life with even more art and sculpture in future, so I would encourage anyone visiting or living in the city to pay ‘Edinburgh’s Plinth’ a visit.”

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Public art, and outdoor sculpture in particular, is a cultural activity everyone can enjoy and engage with, and by creating a dedicated ‘plinth’ for visiting sculpture we are opening art up to a whole new audience.

“We are grateful to Ronald Rae for this loan, which will not only brighten this corner of the city up, but raises awareness of a serious issue.”

Jock Miller, Chair of the West End Community Council, said: “The West End Community Council is delighted to see the Baby Elephant following the success of the Kelpie Maquettes. It is hoped the baby elephant will bring enjoyment to the residents of the West End, the wider Edinburgh community and tourists alike.”

Ronald Rae is currently holding an exhibition of granite sculptures at the Falkirk Wheel, including a 10 tonne Elephant Family, one of eight elephant sculptures he has carved over the past thirty years.

He added: “I am delighted to see my Baby Elephant in the city centre. The West End plaza is a perfect place for outdoor art where the public can engage with a sculpture as they pass by or sit with a coffee. The vulnerability of this baby elephant on the street has a message – to make people think about the plight of elephants and to care for all creatures in the wild and for our Planet that sustains us daily.”

This article was posted by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Media Team.

To  see unique footage of the creation of the Baby Elephant go to the right margin at LATEST NEWS ON VIDEO scroll down to Ronald Rae returns to carving granite Parts One, Two, Three to its completion in Part Four.

Granite: 5 x 5 x 4ft. 3 tonnes. Location: on exhibition at Edinburgh’s West End.  For Sale

Read this fascinating piece of Edinburgh history that links with the sculpture.

The Baby Elephant keeps alive the memory of an amusing incident from Edinburgh’s transport past. When the current North Bridge was constructed, completing in 1897, linking Princes Street with the High Street, the townsfolk of Edinburgh were not convinced it was safe. The bridge was barely used and became considered a white elephant.
To prove its safety credentials the city borrowed twelve elephants from local circuses, and held an elephant parade up and down the bridge. Thousands turned out expecting to see the bridge collapse under the weight of the elephants. Of course the structure survived the big march, and is still standing 118 years after the twelve grey elephants transformed the white elephant structure.

Researched by Iain MacPhail – City Centre Programme Manager.

To  see unique footage of the creation of the Baby Elephant go to the right margin at LATEST NEWS ON VIDEO scroll down to Ronald Rae returns to carving granite Parts One, Two, Three to its completion in Part Four.

Baby Elephant – granite: 5x5x4 ft 3.00 tonnes. Location: photo at the plaza at Edinburgh Airport – now at the West End of Edinburgh.  For Sale

Ronald Rae’s latest granite carvings of two endangered species a Baby Elephant and a Gorilla Family were exhibited for the first time on the plaza at Edinburgh Airport to welcome visitors to the Festival City from August till November 2015. To see a video of the sculptures being installed see Latest News on Video at right hand margin.

Ronald Rae said ” I am delighted to show these new works at Edinburgh Airport. I am particularly thrilled about the site for the Baby Elephant next to Africa on the world map on the plaza. It makes a powerful statement about the plight of elephants and all endangered species. What better place to think about these important conservation issues than at an airport which links us all.”

The Baby Elephant is carved from a three tonne boulder of pink Corrennie granite from Aberdeenshire. To see unique footage of the creation of the Baby Elephant go to the right margin at LATEST NEWS ON VIDEO scroll down to Ronald Rae returns to carving granite Parts One, Two, Three to its completion in Part Four.

The plaza links the East Terminal and the Tram Terminus. The tram goes to Edinburgh city centre with a stop at St Andrew Square where visitors can see another Ronald Rae endangered species – his 20 tonne Lion.

Granite: Ht. 6ft x 7ft x 5ft. 7 tonnes. Location: The Falkirk Wheel after 3 months on the plaza at Edinburgh Airport.  For sale.

Gorilla Family and Baby Elephant were exhibited for the first time at the new plaza at Edinburgh Airport from August till November 2015.  The plaza links the East Terminal and the Tram Terminus. The tram goes to the city centre with a stop at St Andrew Square where visitors can see another Ronald Rae endangered species – the Lion. 

The Gorilla Family was carved from a 7 tonne granite boulder from Dalbeattie Quarry near Dumfries. The dark grey granite has been dated at 397 million years old. Ronald Rae is widely known for his powerful animal sculptures – the gorilla joins this group of seriously endangered species.
To see a video of the Gorilla Family and the Baby Elephant being moved to Edinburgh Airport go to Latest News on Video on the right margin. Also see three short videos of Ronald Rae carving the Gorilla Family.

Granite: 5x11x3ft. 6.00 tons. Location: National Trust for Scotland, Threave Gardens, Dumfries and Galloway. Sold. After being on loan to the NTS for three years St. Francis will now be staying on at Threave due to the generosity of long term NTS members George and Sue Thomas.

Photography by Lenny Warren.

THREAVE GARDEN SCULPTURE EXHIBITION 2012.
On Saturday 23rd June 2012 Kate Mavor, the Chief Executive of the National Trust for Scotland unveiled Ronald Rae’s St. Francis sculpture and opened the second Threave Garden Sculpture Exhibition showing works by several Scottish based sculptors in the formal garden at Threave. The exhibition continues till May 2013. A catalogue of the exhibition is available at the Visitor Centre.

In the summer of 2011 Ronald Rae opened the first Threave Sculpture Garden Exhibition. He spoke passionately about the potential of displaying larger sculptures at Threave and offered the NTS one of his works on loan. The NTS jumped at this wonderful opportunity. It was agreed that St. Francis would be perfect in this garden setting because of the saint’s love of Nature – birds in particular. Birdsong is the first sound one hears on entering Threave Garden.

George Thomas, from NTS Threave Garden who organised this project said ” I am absolutely delighted to have been involved with Ronald Rae’s incredibly generous gesture of lending St. Francis to Threave Garden. He has chosen a stunning piece entirely in keeping with the site. It undoubtedly creates a unique feature in the garden which will give pleasure to visitors and act as a focus of widespread interest.”

This emotive work depicts St. Francis lying in retreat on “that rugged rock twixt Tiber and Arno” as Dante described La Verna. The sculpture shows the saint surrounded by the birds that he loved and preached to. Brother Wolf is carved on the other side of the stone. Legend has it that St. Francis saved the village of Gubbio from being ravished of its flocks by persuading the people to feed the fierce hungry wolf. In return for this kindness the wolf became a friend to everyone and a follower of St. Francis and thereafter called Brother Wolf.

It has been written that on this mountainside St. Francis took on the stigmata – the wounds of Christ. In his sculpture Rae has given Brother Wolf the stigmata. Legend also says that when St. Francis died Brother Wolf was at his side.

The St. Francis stone from Tillyfourie Quarry in Aberdeenshire is of great geological interest being a mix of pink and silver-grey granite and dark grey basalt that fused together when the Earth was being formed. For this stone that happened 470 million years ago!

To see a short video of St. Francis being installed see News heading at the top margin of the Home page.

Granite: 8x17x7 ft 20.00 tons. Location: Photo in Holyrood Park, currently in St Andrew Square Garden, Edinburgh. For Sale.