Arnold MachinSt John the Baptist c.1944

Machin studied sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London during the Second World War and was later elected to the Royal Academy. He developed a classical style and is best known for his relief portrait of the Queen which featured on stamps and coins from 1968-84. This sculpture shows John the Baptist as a half naked boy at prayer. His delicate physique is counterbalanced by the boy’s strong and direct gaze. Machin spent much of 1944 in prison as a conscientious objector. The themes of vulnerability and spiritual salvation may have had as much personal significance for him as they did for wider society engaged in a global war.

Arnold Machin was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1911 and died near Eccleshall in 1999… (read more)