I don’t normally pay much attention to the architecture of the great portico leading into the Royal Academy courtyard, but – in the fierce winter sun – I realised how fine some of the decorative detailing is. The façade was designed by Robert Richardson Banks and Charles Barry Jnr., in March 1867, but it’s not clear who was responsible for the sculpture. Someone must know.






I suppose Alfred Stevens is not a possibility as there would be records ?