Rare Peter Pan statue set for auction in Edinburgh

IT is the world-famous famous statue of his best-known literary creation, which JM Barrie arranged to appear overnight as if by magic in the gardens near his home.

The statue is set to be put up for auction this week in Edinburgh

Now a rare recreation of the Peter Pan sculpture, which JM Barrie gifted to his fans in 1912, is set to spark a bidding war.

It is being put up for sale in Edinburgh this week by a Scottish family who have cherished it for nearly 100 years.

Experts at Lyon & Turnbull auction house have valued the bronze study of Peter Pan, which features the much-loved character blowing his musical pipe, at up to £30,000.

The original life-size bronze of Peter Pan by the sculptor Sir George Frampton appeared in Kensington Gardens in London after being erected in secret.

It was announced via a notice a newspaper which stated: “There is a surprise in store for the children who go to Kensington Gardens to feed the ducks in the serpentine this morning - a May Day gift by Mr JM Barrie, a figure of Peter Pan blowing his pipe on the stump of a tree, with fairies and mice and squirrels all around.”

A small number of bronze reductions of the original were produced over the next few years, while further life-sized casts appeared in Liverpool, Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the United States.

The owner of the sculpture being auctioned off on Wednesday, who has asked not to be identified, said: “We are sorry to part with this beautiful statue - it has been in my family for nearly 100 years.

“We hope that it will be as loved by its new owners as much as it was by us.”

John Mackie, head of decorative arts at Lyon & Turnbull, said: “This famous statue is held in great affection all over the world – it is the iconic image of the boy who never grew up, and a very beautiful work of art.”


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