(CNN) A newly unveiled bronze statue paying tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in Northern Ireland featuring the queen, the late Prince Philip and two corgis has sparked mixed reactions among the public.
Local authorities told CNN that the statue of the Queen had been “warmly received by most people who saw it in person”, but there was some ridicule on social media, with some saying it did not resemble the Queen.
Bronze statue unveiled at Antrim Castle Gardens
A local government Facebook post announcing the statue’s installation drew comments such as “it could be anyone” and that while the statue is “beautiful”, it “doesn’t resemble the late Queen, nor does it represent the clothes she would normally wear”.
The city government restricted comments on the post, but the debate spread on Twitter, where the image has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, with some users comparing it to a statue of the once-maligned soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. “Even the corgis are confused,” one user wrote.
The bronze statue, one of the first to be created in Britain to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth, was commissioned by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and created by artist Ant Brennan. It was installed in the Antrim Castle Gardens, about 30 kilometres north of Belfast, and was unveiled on the 6th of this month.
The statue and its creator, Ant Brennan/Antrim Castle Gardens
Queen Elizabeth is seen gazing off into the distance in a tweed skirt, rubber boots, checked vest, headscarf and a handbag draped over her left arm, with her two famous corgis at her feet and her husband, Prince Philip, standing behind her with his hands clasped behind his back.
The council acknowledged that “art can sometimes generate diverse opinions,” but said it was “particularly pleased that the sculpture blends in with the statue of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, which stands next to it, and two lovingly crafted corgis.” CNN has reached out to Brennan for comment.
Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2022, was one of the most photographed people in the world and the subject of thousands of paintings and sculptures, which meant that some artwork depicting her and other members of the British royal family have been controversial over the years.
Her portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge, which appeared on the cover of British fashion magazine Tatler earlier this year, similarly divided opinion in the media and online, with one critic calling it “unbearably awful” and another calling it “beautiful”.
Meanwhile, Charles III’s first official portrait since his coronation also sparked controversy with its fiery red background which seemed to engulf the king whole.
And as is well known, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth painted by British artist Lucian Freud in 2000 appeared to be the polar opposite of the romantic depictions of the Queen that had been painted up to that point, and was met with mixed reviews from critics and the public alike.
