Koala Gargoyle

Koala Gargoyle

animal, Australian animal, Australian War Memorial, cast, Commemorative Courtyard, gargoyle, koala, medieval architecture, Melbourne, model, ornamentation, plaster cast, Raymond Ewers, sandstone, sculpture, William Leslie Bowles, war, war memorial, water.

This plaster model for a gargoyle depicts the head of a koala. The plaster model was created in the studio of William Leslie Bowles in Melbourne with the assistance of sculptor, Ray Ewers. In 1940 and 1941 the plaster cast was used as the template for a stonemason to carve an in-situ sandstone gargoyle in the cloisters of the Commemorative Courtyard of the Australian War Memorial. Gargoyles were a common feature in medieval architecture. They were used to divert running water away from buildings before drainpipes became commonplace.

Bowles, Leslie (Artist);
Ewers, Raymond Boultwood (Cast by)

Australian War Memorial

Australian War Memorial

1939

Australian War Memorial

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