Frink was just 28 at the time and this was her first major commission. A sculpture that would sit alongside works by major, established artists such as John Piper, Jacob Epstein and Graham Sutherland, would have tested the nerve of many a young artist. Frink held hers, depicting an eagle of strength and courage, not aggression.
Opening times
Today, Sun 6th October
Open
12:00pm–3:30pm
Coventry Cathedral is open as normal today
General visiting times for the New Cathedral & Ruins
Mon-Sat 10:00am–4:00pm
Sun 12:00pm–3:30pm
Sun 12:00pm–3:30pm
These opening times apply to the New Cathedral & Ruins. Other Cathedral locations' times differ.
Lectern Eagle, by Elisabeth Frink
A display of strength and courage, not aggression
Sir Basil Spence had commissioned Elisabeth Frink to create the eagle. He later said "One of the last things to be designed was the pulpit and the lectern … the lectern had to have a traditional Eagle. Elisabeth Frink, that gifted sculptress, was to my mind an obvious choice. She designed and carried out a magnificent bird which looks as if it has just settled there after a long flight. She modelled direct in plaster and, by inserting ordinary kindling in the standard six-inch lengths, gave the effect of feathers. These can easily be seen in the bronze casting" (S. Gardiner, Elisabeth Frink, London, 1998, pp. 82, 111-112).
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