The Heron with bulrush and ivy

T W Wallis was apprenticed as a woodcarver in Hull and did work for Burton Constable Hall before setting up business in Louth in 1843. He specialised in carving dead game and foliage from a single piece of limewood after working up the model in clay. Louth Museum already has the clay model of this carving. His work has many similarities with the style of Grinling Gibbons and he won many medals including one at the Great Exhibition of 1851. His trademark was a small snail which can be seen on the heron's beak. This work was acquired with the support of the Art Fund with the assistance of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.