Sketch design for jardiniere

Richard Gross was a prolific Auckland sculptor whose work included the equestrian statue for the Wellington War Memorial, the bronze figure surmounting the Auckland Grammar School War Memorial and the designs of the friezes around the Auckland Museum building.

The jardiniere was made by Gross in 1948 as a wedding gift to Queen Elizabeth II from the combined Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch branches of the Royal Empire Society. Gross made a copy of the jardiniere for his own record and this copy was purchased by the Auckland Museum in 1992 along with the sketch design.