Cat's Eye Carving

A plaque for the Lady Mayoress of the City of London.

23 November, 2023 – 9:08 pm

I was commissioned to carve this wonderful Puffin playing bagpipes for the new Lady Mayoress of the city of London.

Commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Masons , this is part of the family heraldry of Elisabeth Mainelli.
A liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Masons and the Lady Mayoress of the City of London.

The next stage was to cut and sand a piece of Forest of Dean Sandstone, then draw out the inscription ready to carve.

The completed carving had two bases, the piece of Forest of Dean sandstone I used for the lettering had to be relatively large to fit the inscription on, the letters were 1.25 inch capitals and 3/4 inch lower case. I used gold leaf in the letters.

The second base was to make the carving easier to display and was made from a thin piece of Welsh slate.

I finished the carving by painting the detail with enamel paint, this makes it suitable for outside, but I hope that they keep my carving indoors.

I was privileged to be invited to Mansion house in London to attend the presentation.

So much beautiful architecture, it was a sensory overload. The contrast between old and new really is awe inspiring.

The plaster work inside Mansion House is exquisite, if you follow this link, it tells you how you can book onto a tour.

The unveiling ceremony took place in one of the beautiful rooms of this magnificent building.

Left to right in the picture; the Renter Warden, Me, the Master, the Lady Mayoress, the Upper Warden and the Clerk.