Sculpture, Faith, and the Many Worlds of Victorian Sculpture: W. F. Woodington, Genesis (1862).

This article examines W. F. Woodington's 1862 Genesis panel at St Paul's Cathedral, exploring its significance beyond its original role as an adjunct to the Wellington Memorial. The panel depicts the biblical Battle of the Vale of Siddim and features 18 human figures, animals, and an inscription from Genesis 14:20, linking the biblical narrative to the commemoration of military heroism. The discussion reconceptualizes the panel as an assemblage that incorporates diverse elements including its Italian marble material—highlighting the labor and environmental impact involved—classical sculptural form, Victorian cultural contexts such as contemporary archaeological discoveries and social mores, and the urban animal landscape surrounding the cathedral. This multifaceted approach challenges reductive interpretations of the panel, emphasizing its complex intersections of faith, empire, race, sexuality, and materiality.