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Statue of Robert Clive, Westminster
Monument
- Media metadata
Statue of Robert Clive, Westminster
Image of Statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, panorama
Image of Statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, Panorama 2
Image of statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, distant panorama
Image of statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, symmetrical panorama
Image of statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, view from rear
Image of statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, close up
Image of statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, close up shot
Image of Bali Bombings Memorial, London
Plinth showing Robert Clive in Plassey
Image in bas-relief on one side of plinth of statue of Robert Clive at Westminster
Image of bas-relief on second side of plinth of statue of Robert Clive at Westminster
Image of bas-relief on third side of plinth of statue of Robert Clive at Westminster
Image of bas-relief on plinth showing Robert Clive in Plassey
Image of bas-relief on plinth of statue of Robert Clive, showing the siege of Arcot 1751
Image of statue of Robert Clive in Westminster, next to Churchill's War Rooms
- has description
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This large bronze statue depicts Robert Clive in military uniform, atop a massive plinth. In the manner of classical Greek architecture, the undulating structure of the plinth prevents the viewer from focussing and draws attention instead to the principal figure, who looks away into the the distance with a grim expression. The figure wears well-worn boots, indicating battle experience, while the prominent stripes on the sleeves indicate achievement and rank. In one hand, the figure holds a curved Indo-Islamic ceremonial sword or talwar, signalling the conquest of India, while the other hand clutches rolled up papers, possibly underlining the legal title to possessions won by the sword.
In front, the plinth merely describes the person depicted as 'Clive', indicating his self-explanatory eminence. Contradicting this, the three other sides of the plinth display narrative friezes in bas-relief, showcasing Clive's military and political achievements in India: at Arcot, Plassey and Allahabad. The Allahabad scene depicts Clive receiving the Grant of Diwani, mistitled as the Grant of Bengal, from the defeated Mughal emperor. In the bas-relief of this scene, based on Benjamin West's 1818 painting , the Mughal emperor fades into the background while Clive and his British companions are carved prominently, to emphasize their centrality to the story. - was commissioned by
- Lord Clive Memorial Committee
- managed by
- English Heritage
- protected by
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Historic England Checklist to Help Local Authorities Deal With Contested Heritage Decisions, 2021
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
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Guidance for custodians on how to deal with commemorative heritage assets that have become contested, 2023
- has dimension (height (cm))
- 2,900
- was discussed by
- 1907, William Forwood writes to The Times lamenting the lack of a memorial to Clive
- 1912, Perceval Landon praises Tweed for his Clive statue
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1994, Performance of Siraj ud-daula play at the Festival of Bangladesh organised by Iqbal Wahhab
- 1997, Nurul Haque organises a conference on Plassey
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1998, Nurul Haque organises a larger conference on Plassey
- 2007, Statue of Siraj ud daula installed in Plassey
- 2020, Petition to Westminster City Council to remove the statue of Robert Clive
- 2020, Murad Qureshi expresses his opinion of Robert Clive statue in London
- 2024, Yinka Shonibare exhibits his series 'Decolonised Structures' at the Serpentine Galleries
- depicts
Clive, Robert
- consists of
- bronze
- was produced by
- Tweed, John
Statue
- has inscription
- Clive
- consists of
- bronze
Plinth
- is referred to by
- Historic England
- Wikipedia
- English Heritage
- Tate
- John Watts, "Contested Statues: The Clive Memorial Fund, Imperial Heroes, and the Reimaginings of Indian History," Journal of British Studies, Published online 2024:1-24
- Durba Ghosh, "Stabilizing History through Statues, Monuments, and Memorials in Curzon’s India," The Historical Journal. 2023;66(2):348-369