 Merlion Statue, Singapore
The Merlion is one of the best recognised icons of Singapore. The Merlion was designed by Fraser Brunner for the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964, and was used as its logo until 1997. It is a statue of a lion head with a fish body resting on a bed of waves. It is 8.6 meters tall and weighs 70 tonnes. The statue was built by the late Singapore craftsman, Lim Nang Seng. Mr Lim used broken porcelain plates to make the skin, and for the eyes, he used small red teacups, in a way, incorporating a bit of chien nien technique usually employed in temple roof designs into a modern sculpture.
Originally, the Merlion statue was installed at the tip of the Singapore River mouth, on the inner side of the Esplanade Bridge, and was unveiled by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on 15 September 1972.
After the construction of the Esplanade Bridge, the Merlion Statue was moved 120 meters, to the other side of the bridge, next to One Fullerton.
Merlion Statue, Singapore
Copyright © Timothy Tye.
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