Carved sandstone head of James Thom, carved by the sculptor

Key details

Object number: 3.5022
Date: 1800 to 1836
On display: Yes
Maker: Thom, James Crawford

Description

Carved sandstone head of James Thom.

This sandstone sculpted head of James Thom was created by the sculptor himself, before he departed for America in 1836. It was gifted to the Trustees of Burns Monument by Ayr Town Council in 1972, to accompany the famous statues by Thom of the characters from Tam o' Shanter displayed in the Statue House in Burns Monument Gardens.

James Crawford Thom (1802-1850) born near Tarbolton was a stonemason who was commissioned by David Auld custodian of the Burns Monument in Alloway in 1828 to carve a life sized figure of Tam o' Shanter, having first tried his hand at stone carving at Auld's behest on a Bust of Burns.

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