Compassion

*Promised to Arlington County not yet in the Public Art Collection

Location

N. Courthouse Road and Clarendon Blvd.

Maps Directions Transit Parking

Artwork Details

Artist: Una Hanbury with Colin Poole
Materials: Bronze
Installed: Originally completed in 1967, recast in 2023

In 1967, a symbol of strength, protection, and the spirit of willingness to aid our fellow citizens emerged in the form of the Compassion sculpture. With the support of the Arlington Jaycees, sculptor Una Hanbury (b. 1904 Middlesex, England, d. 1990) crafted the original version of this statue, molding it with clay and casting it in concrete. It proudly graced a mini-park at the intersection of Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards at Courthouse Road for decades and served as a testament to the values of Arlington County. 

Over the course of 55 years, time and weather took their toll, eroding the surface and rendering the sculpture unrecognizable. Cracks marred its form, jeopardizing its very structure. Recognizing the need for restoration, Arlington County, Greystar Real Estate Partners, and the family of Una Hanbury worked together to determine how the sculpture could be saved. Due to the condition of the original sculpture, recreating it was deemed the best option to preserve it.   

Una Hanbury’s grandson, Colin Poole, a professional artist who apprenticed under Hanbury, absorbed her working methods and prepared him for the task of recreating Compassion to its original likeness. Poole digitally scanned the weathered concrete sculpture and milled a replica in foam which was then enveloped in clay. Poole drew upon Hanbury’s original bronze maquette and the sole surviving photo of the original sculpture to recreate missing details. Using Hanbury’s own sculpting tools and referencing other sculptures she had crafted during that era, Poole skillfully reproduced the surface textures and the renewed form was cast in bronze for longevity. 

Funded by Greystar Real Estate Partners