Murch made several equestrian statues including two life-sized sculptures
![Horse_sculpture](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Horse_sculpture-300x199.jpg)
Govett’s Leap – Horse and Rider 1976 Resin and marble dust Life size Commissioned by the Blackheath Rhododendron Festival Committee.
Murch made the horse in the backyard of a rented house in Mowbray Road, Chatswood. His assistants were Horace Broadhurst, Steve Sawkins, Peter Day, Colin Brown, Ian Ottley, Ian Chapman.
![Charles-Archer-sculpture-Rockhampton-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Charles-Archer-sculpture-Rockhampton-for-web.jpg)
Charles Archer on his horse Sleipner
1980
Bronze
Life size
Commissioned by the City of Rockhampton; unveiled 11/10/1980; Arthur was aged 78.
Charles Archer (1813 – 1862) along with his brothers explored the Fitzroy River and Dawson Rivers
PROCESS OF PRODUCTION
For the Govett’s Leap sculpture in Blackheath and the Charles Archer & Sleipner sculpture in Rockhampton, Murch used a method of cutting cross-sections of a completed maquette, photographing them and then projecting them to the correct size onto timber then cutting and assembling the cross-sections.
Here are his drawings of the process:
![Process-for-enlarging-horse-sculpturefor-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Process-for-enlarging-horse-sculpturefor-web.jpg)
![Process-for-enlarging-horse-sculpture-pt2-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Process-for-enlarging-horse-sculpture-pt2-for-web.jpg)
![Archer-horse-maquette-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Archer-horse-maquette-for-web.jpg)
Maquette for Sleipner – Charles Archer’s horse
![Maquette-Govett-process-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Maquette-Govett-process-for-web.jpg)
Maquette for rider
![Steve-&-horse-enlarging-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Steve-horse-enlarging-for-web.jpg)
Steve Sawkins photographing the sliced maquette
![Horse-Process-proof-sheet-for-web-2](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Horse-Process-proof-sheet-for-web-2.jpg)
Proof sheet of photographs of maquette cross-sections
![Horrie-&-Archer-horse-process](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Horrie-Archer-horse-process-263x500.jpg)
Horrie (Joe) Broadhurst applying mesh to enlarged “slices” of horse
![Govett-Arthur-with-head002-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Govett-Arthur-with-head002-for-web.jpg)
Murch modelling head of Govett – photograph by Steve Sawkins
![Govett-horse-head001-for-web](https://arthurmurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Govett-horse-head001-for-web.jpg)
Horse skull, maquette and enlarged horses head – photograph by Steve Sawkins
First Cavalry Division – General George Macarthur Onslow Trophy
1931
Bronze 56.0 x 49.5 cms on wooden base.
Inscribed: Sculptor: A. J. Murch
Foundry: H. and T. West
Labelled with awards from 1931-1955 for the “Most Efficient Regiment”
Royal NSW Lancers, Parramatta
Made by the “lost-wax” method.