[3] The statue depicts George III on horseback, in the style of a Roman emperor, wearing a laurel wreath and toga, riding without stirrups.

[2] The high stone base also leads to comparisons with the Bronze Horseman, an equestrian statue of Peter the Great unveiled in Saint Petersburg in 1782.

Westmacott's statue has an iron frame clad in bronze (not copper, despite its common name) which has developed a deep blue-green verdigris patina.

Westmacott was formally commissioned in 1824, and the Duke of Wellington (then Master-General of the Ordnance) authorised the release of 25 tons of obsolete brass cannons to him the following year, to be melted down for the casting.

George IV laid a foundation stone on his birthday in August 1829, but the statue was not finally installed until 31 October 1831, over a year after his own death.