Here I Am (Mackennal)

Here I Am, sometimes known as the Eton Boy, is a 1923 life size bronze statue by Sir

Melbourne, Australia

.

By the 1920s, Mackennal was a leading sculptor, with many public and royal commissions, including an

St George's Chapel, Windsor

.

This work depicts a naked youth, standing with right foot advanced as though walking forward, with both arms stretched out in front, as if figuratively answering his nation's call to arms. It stands about 189 cm (74 in) high and is signed "B.Mackennal". The statue was exhibited at the

Royal Academy summer exhibition

in 1923.

The title is taken from the

First Book of Samuel, chapter three

, verses 4-10, in which Samuel's response to the voice of God in the Temple was "Here I am. Take me."

The work derives from Mackennal's bronze statue of Circe made in 1892, who is depicted as a nude with both arms stretched out. Mackennal included similar figures with outstretched arms in his statues of Apollo Driving the Horses of the Sun for

Australia House, and the Canadian Red Cross war memorial at Cliveden. The pose may ultimately derive from classical statutes, perhaps the ancient Berlin Adorant

.

Mackennal's statue of Circe, 1892
Mackennal's statue of Phoebus
Mackennal's statue at Cliveden
Berlin Adorant, Altes Museum

The statue was sold at Sotheby's in 1984 for £51,700, and sold again at Christie's in 1993 for £34,500, and acquired by an Australian art dealer. It was acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria in 2006.

References

War Memorial for Eton College (1923), Bertram Mackennal, National Gallery of Victoria
"Eton boy surfaces in Sydney", Australian Financial Review, 16 September 1993
Bronze figure of the Eton Boy, entitled "Here I am", Christie's, 15 July 1993