Focus on this artwork and explain the Description.
The statue was commissioned by Robert Clayton, designed by Nathaniel Hanwell and carved by Thomas Cartwright. It formed the centrepiece of a grouping that stood on the gateway to the hospital from Borough High Street. The king was originally flanked by carvings of two pairs of disabled figures; since 2019 these have been on display at the Science Museum. The statue is of Purbeck limestone and the order for "effigies of King Edward the Sixth and fower cripples to be carved in stone" was placed on 11 November 1681. Cartwright charged £190 for the work.The king is portrayed in Tudor clothing and wearing a crown. He holds a sceptre in his right hand and the charter authorising the re-establishment of St Thomas' in his left. The statue stands on a modern plinth. The statue was listed as a Grade II* structure in 1979.
Tudor Thomas Cartwright Purbeck limestone Borough High Street Science Museum sceptre