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| The Eagle Slayer John Bell, 1845 Bronze The Royal Collection |
And ever bounding fast,
His glances upward flang,
His quiver 'hind him cast,
For vengeance on the bird
Swift up the mountain-side he past,
By love and anger spurred;
Aloft he shakes his bow,
Thanatos to Aeto [Death of the eagle].
The above poem was written by sculptor John Bell for his monumental work—The Eagle Slayer. The figural group was the talk of the Great Exhibition in 1851 and was represented in two versions—one in bronze and one in steel. The larger than life group depicts a shepherd exacting revenge on the eagle who just murdered one of his sheep—who lies at the shepherd’s feet.
The Victorians, who were quite mad about Classical subject matter, applauded the group with its theme of justice and the eternal struggle between right and corruption. The steel version of the work stood at the base of the grand staircase at Kensington Palace for many years.
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