Born in Melbourne at the height of the Gold Rush in 1863, Bertram Mackennal was the first Australian artist to achieve international renown. Mackennal’s exceptional proficiency in carved and modelled sculpture saw him attain a number of unprecedented successes: the first non-British artist to be elected an Associate of the Royal Academy (in 1909); the first Australian artist to receive a knighthood (in 1921) and the first Australian to have their work acquired for the Tate collection (in 1907).(1) As one of few contemporary artists favoured by the curmudgeonly King George V, Mackennal was the recipient of major public commissions throughout Australia and the United Kingdom; notably the King’s coronation medal, memorial sculptures of King Ed...