The Lady Godiva Story

2008-03-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Follow the trails of the Lady of courage who dared to do what was needed to see people rescued from oppression

Inspiration for Lady Godiva's horse ~ the Spanish stallion Boethos

The Spanish eye

The Spanish stallion at Northfield farm, Derbyshire, was a marvellous help and inspiration to inform the sculpture of Boethos,

Lady Godiva's horse,

stepping out from the safety of her courtyard

Stepping Out

Boethos...all ready to be tacked up and saddled for Lady Godiva to ride

Close up of the details of the bridle and reins

The ornamented saddle and folds of Lady Godivas dropped cloak

The project progressed and the finished clay sculpture cast into Bronze by the lost wax process.

Coming soon more information and links

Commission of History

2008-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Sculpture of Lady Godiva was commissioned by the new Davies Gallery of Stratford Upon Avon.
The Sculpture has been made in fine detail and with careful research by the Sculptress JOEL.
"It has been a fascinating journey of discovery ~ about the historical Lady herself, and the Saddlery of the time. We chose a Spanish stallion as her horse and he was given the name Boethos, which comes from the Greek for 'Help' and reminds us of Godiva's faith, echoed in Psalm 121"
I lift up my eyes to the hills
— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth
Lady Godiva's Christian faith was the motivation for her compassion for the poor, and her humility in being ready to risk utter embarrassment, to see an unfair tax repealled.

She is shown with one hand dropping, yet just holding the folds of her cloak, her other hand grips the reins and some of the mane of her horse....this is to reflect the tension between wanting to go forward with the action, but the desire to cover herself.

The saddle and bridle is ornate and beautifully decorated, and the Spanish horse has long mane and tail, which add to the flow and lines of the sculpture. The stallion also has a graceful and yet powerful appearance as he steps out from a walk into a trot.