Still Water by Nic Fiddian-Green

This sculpture, hand-carved in lapis lazuli by Nic Fiddian-Green was made at his studio in Surrey in 2019.  It is a unique piece.

Nic Fiddian-Green has been represented by the Sladmore Gallery for over 20 years. His work, from small maquette to massive monumental, is highly prized around the world in public and private collections. Born in Hampshire in 1963, he graduated from Wimbledon School of Art after a three year degree course in Sculpture. Engrossed in the horse as a subject and working in marble, he was greatly moved by the power, skill and beauty of the Parthenon frieze and the horse as depicted by the Ancient Greeks. In particular the remarkable “Selene” horse. He attended St Martin’s School of Art where he learned the skill of casting in bronze. He gained a Diploma in Advanced Lost Wax Casting and then established his own foundry outside London. Work commissioned in Gozo in 1992 allowed him to open a foundry there too. He then divided his time between Gozo and England working in the lost wax technique on a variety of projects. Largely casting the work himself in his Surrey studio with the help of his wife Henri. Through sheer determination and passion for his subject Nic Fiddian-Green has stayed true to the form of the horse’s head for 25 years. The spirit and power of this noble animal, both servant and master to man, has been his long-term obsession.

The early influences of the elegant Parthenon frieze are still apparent, the classical Greek principles of grace, beauty, serenity, and harmony balanced with new sensibilities to create his unique, very modern sculpture. The 33 ft high bronze “Still Water” situated at Marble Arch in central London has become one of the city’s most loved landmarks. Nic has donated the piece on permanent loan to London. Further monumental works have been installed at Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex and in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. The largest and most stunning piece of his career so far, the 40 foot high “Artemis”, was placed on the Trundle Hill on the downs overlooking Goodwood House and racecourse. It has now been shipped to its new home, in a private collection in the Hunter valley in Australia. He has work in many important private and corporate collections and has exhibited in major galleries in Paris, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong and others, as well as at most important Art Fairs such as Tefaf Maastricht, Art Dubai and Masterpiece, London. His regular Summer exhibitions at Sladmore Contemporary have become an important part of the London Art scene.

Lapis lazuli, used by Nic for some of his recent carved works in various precious materials, has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue colour. The semi-precious stone is found in the Middle East made but by the middle ages was being exported to Europe. As well as a material used for carving, jewellery and mosaic making, lapis was ground and processed to make the pigment Ultramarine,  the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments, for use in frescoes and oil painting and watercolour. The pigment was used through the Renaissance until the 19th century by some of the most revered artists including Titian, Vermeer and Turner.

Dimensions

Price on application

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance