University of Queensland (Australia)

The University of Queensland, UQ, is an Australian research university founded in 1909, UQ is one of Australia's oldest and most selective universities.  You can read about the history of this beautiful and historical university HERE You can read about the Great Court where I was sketching HERE, and about the Coats of arms I sketched and the Grotesques..

The columns that support the cloister around the Great Court are adorned with coats of arms representing the tertiary institutions of the British Commonwealth, other significant international universities, and the UQ residential colleges. The external walls of the cloister feature archways and roundels that depict native Queensland flora and fauna and exotic and agriculturally significant species.

 

 

 

Perhaps the most intriguing features are the carved stone caricatures or grotesques that decorate the outside walls of the Great Court. These portraits are popular because of the light-hearted quality they bring to the otherwise formal architecture. Their quirky designs reflect the whims of the stonemasons who created them. Subjects include UQ academics, fictional characters from literature, mythical creatures, a portrait of stonemason John Theodore Muller, and a self-portrait of sculptor Rhyl Hinwood.