The Machin Head

The Machin head of The Queen has become an icon of Britain. With an estimated 200 billion stamps printed (so far) it is one of the most reproduced images in history.

It was agreed in 1965 that a new, profile portrait of The Queen was needed to replace the Wilding and Gillick heads. After a year of experimentation Arnold Machin produced his classic sculpture.

Find out more about the Machin.

Machin mould

(below) The plaster mould by Arnold Machin used to create his original plaster cast.

Date: October 1966

Donated by Machin Arts Foundation

Illustration
Machin mould

Machin mould


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