Have bronze statues gone or just gone under water?

Published on Thursday 22 July 2010 18:35

LOSING one life-sized bronze statue might be considered unfortunate - to lose two is more likely to be seen as carelessness.

NOW YOU SEE THEM, now you don't: The Gormley statues visible and possibly submerged at Warriston (above) and (below) at the Water of Leith in Bonnington. National Galleries of Scotland staff believe the statues might reappear when the water level drops. Pictures: JANE BARLOW and JULIE BULL

That is the predicament the National Galleries of Scotland have found themselves in however, after two of the figures in Antony Gormley's "6 Times" exhibit apparently vanished from the Water of Leith overnight.

The two missing statues, Figure IV, by Powderhall, downstream from the Warriston Road crossing, and Figure V, at Bonnington, have disappeared just days after two large bronze lions were taken from nearby Dean Cemetery.

Some suspicious trample marks along the river bank at both sites suggests someone may have tried, or succeeded, in stealing them. The missing statues have been reported missing to Lothian and Borders Police by members of the public, but the National Galleries of Scotland have also contacted officers to tell them that, currently, they do not believe the statues are gone - they are simply drowning.

They think that the figures, each of which weighs almost half-a-tonne, may have collapsed as a result of heavy rainfall turning the normally sedate Water of Leith into racing rapids, along with the weight of flotsam washed against them.

They admit, however, that it is a mystery which will not be solved until the water levels on the Water of Leith drop sufficiently to tell whether or not the statues are lying on the river bed.

And despite the worrying lack of visible signs to suggest the statues are still there the Gallery says they are confident they have simply fallen over.

A National Galleries of Scotland spokeswoman said: "It has been noted that the figures in the Water of Leith at Powderhall and Bonnington, which form part of the Antony Gormley sculpture 6 Times, are no longer visible. The figures have been designed to tip over under certain amounts of pressure or force."

"In light of the recent adverse weather conditions it is highly likely that the figures have tipped over and are now submerged in the water."

An inspection late on Wednesday recorded water up to the neck of the statues, which also had a lot of flotsam stuck to them.

Local residents were not so sure however. Tom Waring, 48, a computer programmer who works close to the statue at Warriston, admitted he had been baffled by the disappearance.

"I have come down to see it a few times, and it was there a couple of days ago," he said. "There's no way the water is completely covering it, and there's no sign of it at all."

Ian Smith, 65, a retired engineer from Coburg Street who regularly walks past the statue at Bonnington, said: "It must have gone missing in the last couple of days, and I don't think the water has covered it up."