Model for the Burns and Wilson Monument

This small scale sketch model of the Burns Wilson Monument shows the poet standing back to back with John Wilson, the printer of the first edition of his poems. The full scale Burns and Wilson Monument stands at the Cross in Kilmarnock where it was unveiled in September 1995 by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal.   It was commissioned as part of a large scale town-centre redevelopment and commemorates the publishing of the first edition of Burns' poems close to the site in 1786. Sculptors will often produce study models such as this before making the full scale cast. They allow the artist to identify any changes to the design that may need to be made. After making this model, Stoddart made some small changes in the full scale work - he allowed the drapery to fall all the way to the base and he gave Wilson a more "stalwart" pose. The dimensions of the model were enlarged by five times to make the monument.