The Thornflower sculpture visits Salisbury Cathedral

Charlotte Mayer’s beautiful and thought-provoking bronze sculpture ‘The Thornflower’, which grew out of her reflections on the death of her grandmother in Treblinka and ‘man’s inhumanity to man at other times’, will be exhibited in the Morning Chapel at Salisbury Cathedral for six months from 16 October, a period which includes both Remembrance-tide and Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Thornflower takes the form of three petal-like diametrically-opposite configurations, created from the shapes of crescent moons. These blossoms, soft and fragile, are held high by five stems of brutal thorns set into a circular bronze base. The sculpture is at the same time soft and fluid, rigid and sharp, rounded and straight, and the warm and rich golden flowers contrast with the cold dark grey of the steel thorns.

In Mayer’s words, “Making a piece of sculpture does not usually include writing a story. The Thornflower sculpture, however, is more than just a piece of sculpture. It is the story of a journey from duality to unity. It is also, in part, a story of healing. The story begins with my Grandmother, Ruzena.”

The Thornflower can be seen during the cathedral’s usual visitor opening times.

Further information: salisburycathedral.org.uk. Admission free.