Dunham Massey Hall sundial
The Dunham Massey Hall sundial is a lead sculpture depicting a kneeling Black man holding a sundial on his head. It was created during the early 18th century, and until 2020 stood outside Dunham Massey Hall, a stately home in Cheshire, England. Its subject matter attracted criticism and in 2020 the National Trust removed it amid the global wave of statue removals connected with the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Also recorded as Sundial on garden forecourt
Dunham Massey Hall sundial
Photograph by Mike Peel ( · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Period
- 1735
- Region
- United Kingdom
- Related practice
- lead
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Documentary summary
The Dunham Massey Hall sundial is a lead sculpture depicting a kneeling Black man holding a sundial on his head. It was created during the early 18th century, and until 2020 stood outside Dunham Massey Hall, a stately home in Cheshire, England. Its subject matter attracted criticism and in 2020 the National Trust removed it amid the global wave of statue removals connected with the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
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Dunham Massey Hall sundial is dated 1735. It is associated with public art. Collections associated with it include National Trust.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q26639148 · wikipedia · Dunham Massey Hall sundial
In this article
Overview
Overview
It is currently held in storage.
It is recorded as the work of Andries Carpentière. Materials recorded for it are lead. It is associated with United Kingdom. The record gives 1735 as its date of establishment or first appearance. Recorded genres are public art. It forms part of Dunham Massey Hall.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Dunham Massey Hall sundial • Italic Title — no • Artist — attributed to Andries Carpentière after Jan van Nost • Year — early 18th century • Medium — Polychromed lead and bronze on a stone plinth • Subject — Generic figure personifying the continent of Africa • Height Metric — 185 • Width Metric — 114 • Metric Unit — cm • Imperial Unit — in • Designation — Grade II listed • Condition — Removed • Museum — Dunham Massey Hall • Owner — National Trust
Controversy and removal
Controversy and removal
In June 2020, the National Trust announced that it was "reviewing" the statue amid the global wave of statue removals during the Black Lives Matter protests. Shortly afterwards, the Trust took the decision to remove the statue from its prominent location outside Dunham Massey Hall, stating that the sculpture "caused upset and distress because of the way it depicts a black person and because of its prominence at the front of the house". The National Trust also stated that it did not plan to "censor or deny" colonial history, but intended to devise a new way of displaying it "in a way that fully acknowledges the appalling histories of slavery and the slave trade". Historic England noted that the National Trust had not requested listed building consent prior to the removal of the Grade II-listed sundial. • Illustration — Detail of the statue • Illustration — Position of the sculpture in front of the Hall prior to 2020 • Illustration — National Trust notice explaining the sculpture's removal
Identity
Identity
Dunham Massey Hall sundial is associated with United Kingdom. Recorded as made of lead. Recorded from 1735.
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 2 entries
1735
Dunham Massey Hall sundial first recorded.
1735
Dunham Massey Hall sundial is recorded from 1735.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United Kingdom
Description
The sundial sculpture is a black, polychromed cast-lead statue. It depicts a life-size kneeling figure of an African man wearing a feathered loincloth and holding a stone and brass sundial on his head. The figure's eyes are painted white with blue pupils, and the loincloth is painted blue and green. It dates from the 18th century and has been attributed to Andries Carpentière (1677–1737). It is thought that it was cast after a model by Jan van Nost (c. 1660–1729) which was installed in 1701 in the Privy Garden of Hampton Court Palace. It was probably commissioned by George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675–1758). The figure has been categorised as an example of a tradition in western art history called the "blackamoor", a personification of the continent of Africa, and as an anonymous 'kneeling slave'. The blackamoor caricatures appeared in a wide range of arts including sculpture, painting, architectural decoration, ceramics, silverware and furniture, and generally depicted a generic black person in exoticised costume and posted in a servile position, holding an object. Close to the sculpture was a plaque containing the words: "This sundial is in the style of one commissioned by King William III. It represents Africa, one of four continents known at the time. The figure depicts a Moor, not a slave, and he has knelt here since before 1750."
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rylance-Watson, Alice. A sundial borne by a life-size, kneeling figure of an African man 936871. National Trust Collections. National Trust.
- 2.Fitzpatrick, John. National Trust removes 'degrading' statue of kneeling black man from stately home. The Telegraph. 2020-06-12. 0307-1235.
- 3.Dunham Massey says it is "reviewing" a statue depicting a black figure carrying a sundial. Altrincham Today. 2020-06-10.
- 4.Stately home's 'degrading' statue removed. BBC News. 2020-06-12.
- 5.Dunham Massey removes sundial statue as National Trust admits it causes "upset and distress". Altrincham Today. 2020-06-11.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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