Thuner

Thuner is the Frisian god of thunder and oldest son of Weda (in the Scandinavian mythology his name is Thor) Thuner is an imposing limestone figure carved by John Michael Rysbrack (1693-1770).

It was carved circa 1730 for Sir Richard Temple, Viscount Cobham (1675-1749) for his garden in Stowe, Buckinghamshire.

They formed part of an important group of buildings and statuary erected by Lord Cobham during the 1730s, which embodied a political programme championing Whig beliefs in historic British liberty.

A native of the Netherlands, he came over to England in about 1720, and soon established himself as a sculptor of monuments, portraits and busts.

The Saxon gods, however, are unique in his work; neither are similar figures known by any other sculptors.