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The centerpiece of the Library's Reading Room is a marble statue of Queen Victoria carved in 1871 by Marshall Wood. Including its base and pedestals, the piece weighs a total of 6.7 tons.
The lustre of this magnificent artwork had dimmed over the years: it was in need of a thorough and expert cleaning. Before the Library renewal began the statue was carefully transported to the National Gallery of Canada and then to the Canadian Conservation Institute, where conservators performed the time-consuming task of cleaning it from top to bottom using special marble-friendly solutions, tiny brushes and cotton swabs. The conservation team also equipped the statue with seismic reinforcements to help it withstand earth tremors and other shocks, bringing it up to modern standards. Now returned to its rightful place, the statue looks as luminous as it did when first delivered more than 130 years ago.
Removing the Queen Victoria statue and pedestals from the Reading Room. March 7, 2002
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