Martin Jennings

Martin Jennings
Born
Martin Jennings

(1957-07-31) 31 July 1957 (age 67)
OccupationSculptor
Notable workEffigy of King Charles III for the official coinage
WebsiteOfficial website
Statue of John Betjeman (2007), St Pancras railway station, London
Philip Larkin (2007), Hull Paragon Interchange station
Statue of Mary Seacole (2016), St Thomas' Hospital, London
Photo of the statue Women of Steel at Barker's Pool, Sheffield
Women of Steel (2017), Barker's Pool, Sheffield
Photo of Martin Jennings with the crowned version of his effigy of Charles III on the coinage
Martin Jennings with the crowned version of his effigy of Charles III on the coinage

Martin Jennings, FRSS (born 31 July 1957)[1][2] is a British sculptor who works in the figurative tradition, in bronze and stone.[3] His statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras railway station was unveiled in 2007[4] and the statue of Philip Larkin at Hull Paragon Interchange station was presented in 2010. His statue of Mary Seacole (2016), one of his largest works, stands in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital in central London, looking over the Thames towards the Houses of Parliament.

On 30 September 2022 the Royal Mint unveiled Jennings' design for the obverse face of the British coinage, for which he had modelled the effigy of King Charles III. A crowned version of the same effigy was used for a special edition issue at the time of the coronation in May 2023. Coins using the effigy have Jennings' initials under the monarch's neck. A "digitally re-lit" version of the portrait has been used by Royal Mail for the new stamps bearing the image of Charles III,[5] the first time since the 1940s (and the George VI portrait by Humphrey Paget) where the same, unmodified effigy has featured on both coins and stamps.[6]

  1. ^ "In Focus: The sculptor whose work 'treads that fine line between likeness and caricature'". 24 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Martin Jennings".
  3. ^ "Martin Jennings". Royal Society of Sculptors.
  4. ^ Higgins, Charlotte; correspondent, arts (13 November 2007). "Betjeman's daughter unveils St Pancras tribute". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via www.theguardian.com. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Sweney, Mark (8 February 2023). "Royal Mail reveals image of King Charles to be used on stamps". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  6. ^ https://www.postalmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03-Stamp-History-KGVI-1936-39-low-values.pdf [bare URL PDF]