70
Mary Spencer Watson (1913-2006)
Mary Spencer Watson was born in London and
in 1923 her family moved to Worth Matravers on
the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, the site of several
stone quarries. 700 years earlier the stone for
the hundreds of columns in Salisbury Cathedral
had come from there. She was fascinated by the
masons and quarry men and decided to become
a sculptor.
"Having lived among the quarries all my life and
watched stone being excavated in big irregular
blocks and then skillfully carved for every
conceivable purpose from cathedrals to kitchen
sinks, it is natural for me to use this as the medium
for my imagination, the forms dictated by the
stone". - Mary Spencer Watson.
The two forms of Jesus and Mary emerge from
the same solid block of Purbeck stone as if fused
together, expressing the fused bond of love of
a mother and child. Mary's face is barely seen
but we do see her arms hovering protectively
above the child's head. The young child stands
confidently gazing out into the world around him.
Jesus and Mary, 1995
Purbeck stone
102 x 53 x 41 cm
Acquired in 1999 through the generosity of the Jerusalem Trust and an anonymous donor,
this sculpture was part of Shape of the Century exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral in 1999.
If Mary is presenting or giving her child to the world,
how might that affect our understanding of parenting
as both protection and letting go?
