Carved White Marble Cherub Head

St Philip's Church was planned when the nearby medieval church of St Martin in the Bull Ring became insufficient to house its congregation because of the growing population of Birmingham. The land, previously named the Barley Close, was donated by Robert Philips in 1710. It is one of the highest points in the district and is said to be at the same level as the cross on St Paul's Cathedral in London. Following an Act of Parliament, construction commenced in 1711, to the design of Thomas Archer, and was ready for consecration in 1715, when it was dedicated to the Apostle Philip as a tribute to the benefactor Robert Philips. It appears to have been Archer's first church, apart from a rebuilt chancel at Chicheley attributed to him. Construction was estimated to cost £20,000, but the final figure was only £5,012 (equivalent to £990,000 in 2023). This was because many of the materials were donated and transported to the site at no cost. St Philip's served as a Parish church from 1715 to 1905.

A similar example exists in the V&A museum, which was the original study for a detail of the bronze frieze of cherubs on the entablature of the monument to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, in St Paul's Cathedral, London. Furthermore, a 17th century treen example, from the Friulian area within the north eastern region of Italy, exists in the Archbishop's Palace Diocesan Museum of The Sacred Art and Tiepolo Galleries.

Provenance: By repute rescued from a rubble heap, with full permission, by the previous vendor's father, during renovation work on the Cathedral Church of Saint Philip, approximately fifty years ago.