Journal
The Artist as Collector: Jacob Epstein
Published 5/8/2025
Amlash Pottery
Published 5/6/2025
The Attraction of Abstract Idols
Published 5/7/2025
Corsican Bronzes: One-Way Track to the Past
Published 5/8/2025
TEFAF NY: A Successful Debut
Published 5/16/2025
Walking with Maple: A Real Triceratops in Mayfair
Published 5/27/2025
Notable Sale: Enigmacursor Joins the Natural History Museum
Published 6/25/2025
The Forgotten Princess
Published 7/18/2025
FRIEZE Masters: 2025
Published 10/21/2025
Magic in Mayfair: Paul Vanstone's Carrara Triceratops Skull
Published 19/12/2025
Read time: 3min
In December 2025 prehistoric magic returns to Berkeley Square with a world first, life-size marble Triceratops skull sculpture carved by acclaimed British sculptor Paul Vanstone in collaboration with David Aaron.
Titled Carrara Triceratops Skull, 2025, Vanstone took inspiration from a 68-million-year-old sub-adult Triceratops from the Late Cretaceous Period, exhibited by David Aaron at Frieze Masters 2025. The public artwork was unveiled on 16 December as part of Westminster City Council’s Berkeley Square Public Art Programme.
Gleaming during the day and illuminated at night, visitors to Mayfair will have the opportunity to experience the Carrara Triceratops Skull for the next two years.
David Aaron is honoured to present this unique collaboration with Vanstone and introduce new audiences to not only his exceptional craftsmanship but also the joy of this iconic Triceratops form.
Paul Vanstone the artist
Following his studies at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, Vanstone went on to work in renowned marble carving studios near the Carrara quarries of Italy, as well as in Berlin and Rajasthan, before spending five years working as an assistant to leading British sculptor Anish Kapoor.
It was in Kapoor’s studio that Vanstone first worked in large scale sculpture with one of his first assignments being a 30-tonne sculpture. These years of hands-on experience and dedication to his craft prepared Vanstone for this singular commission.
Vanstone’s practice is material led working in stone from onyx, alabaster and marble sourced primarily from Italy, Portugal, and India. The material leads the direction of the work - the colour, the veining – and from there Vanstone develops the subject.
This commission signals a departure from Vanstone’s usual human subject inspiration and presented an opportunity and challenge to explore more natural forms through his practice.
Vanstone works out of a workshop in West London where he has established a not-for-profit community space which accommodates studio spaces for 50 artists.
Making Carrara Triceratops Skull
The starting point for the making of Carrara Triceratops Skull was the real Triceratops skull fossil on display at David Aaron in Mayfair. Vanstone visited the fossil multiple times and sited experiencing the power and presence of the 68-million-year-old specimen as integral to informing his work. The volume and scale of the fossil as well as the iconic features such as the horns, the beak and the striking eyes left an impression with the artist.
During his visits Vanstone took photographs and sketches to inform the design of the sculpture and uniquely uses watercolours in his practice to make preparatory illustrations drafting the flow of the sculpture’s form.
From here Vanstone travelled to Carrara in Italy to visit marble stock yards and source the perfect stone for the project. While Vanstone often works in marble with strong veining, he decided that something different was needed for this project.
Vanstone selected a beautiful 10-tonne block of white Carrara marble with a very subtle veining that had a chalky, bonelike quality. Vanstone likened the white marble to a blank canvas from which he could carve the dinosaur into.
Over 60 days the artist carved the sculpture in his West London workshop alongside his colleague Liam Winship. To start they began hollowing out the frill at the back of the sculpture and then moved onto the beak and other defining features of the skull. The nearly haunting essence of the fossil’s eyes were particularly alluring for Vanstone and the lines radiating from the eyes are translated in the carving of the sculpture.
To finalise the sculpture was a lengthy polishing process which took around three weeks of hand polishing to complete the finish. 
Magic in Mayfair
This unique artistic collaboration is the second public artwork presented by David Aaron in Mayfair, the first being a bronze sculpture inspired by a rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex called ‘Chomper’ which was created in collaboration with a German foundry.
Dinosaurs continue to hold a unique position in the public imagination, embodying both awe and nostalgia. This collaboration between David Aaron and Paul Vanstone brings the monumental presence of a Triceratops into the heart of London, offering a bold reimagining of prehistoric form through modern craftsmanship.
Paul Vanstone’s Carrara Triceratops Skull will remain on display for the next two years.
Find out more about Paul Vanstone’s practice here: https://www.paulvanstone.co.uk/
Titled Carrara Triceratops Skull, 2025, Vanstone took inspiration from a 68-million-year-old sub-adult Triceratops from the Late Cretaceous Period, exhibited by David Aaron at Frieze Masters 2025. The public artwork was unveiled on 16 December as part of Westminster City Council’s Berkeley Square Public Art Programme.
Gleaming during the day and illuminated at night, visitors to Mayfair will have the opportunity to experience the Carrara Triceratops Skull for the next two years.
David Aaron is honoured to present this unique collaboration with Vanstone and introduce new audiences to not only his exceptional craftsmanship but also the joy of this iconic Triceratops form.
Paul Vanstone the artist
Following his studies at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, Vanstone went on to work in renowned marble carving studios near the Carrara quarries of Italy, as well as in Berlin and Rajasthan, before spending five years working as an assistant to leading British sculptor Anish Kapoor.
It was in Kapoor’s studio that Vanstone first worked in large scale sculpture with one of his first assignments being a 30-tonne sculpture. These years of hands-on experience and dedication to his craft prepared Vanstone for this singular commission.
Vanstone’s practice is material led working in stone from onyx, alabaster and marble sourced primarily from Italy, Portugal, and India. The material leads the direction of the work - the colour, the veining – and from there Vanstone develops the subject.
This commission signals a departure from Vanstone’s usual human subject inspiration and presented an opportunity and challenge to explore more natural forms through his practice.
Vanstone works out of a workshop in West London where he has established a not-for-profit community space which accommodates studio spaces for 50 artists.
Making Carrara Triceratops Skull
The starting point for the making of Carrara Triceratops Skull was the real Triceratops skull fossil on display at David Aaron in Mayfair. Vanstone visited the fossil multiple times and sited experiencing the power and presence of the 68-million-year-old specimen as integral to informing his work. The volume and scale of the fossil as well as the iconic features such as the horns, the beak and the striking eyes left an impression with the artist.
During his visits Vanstone took photographs and sketches to inform the design of the sculpture and uniquely uses watercolours in his practice to make preparatory illustrations drafting the flow of the sculpture’s form.
From here Vanstone travelled to Carrara in Italy to visit marble stock yards and source the perfect stone for the project. While Vanstone often works in marble with strong veining, he decided that something different was needed for this project.
Vanstone selected a beautiful 10-tonne block of white Carrara marble with a very subtle veining that had a chalky, bonelike quality. Vanstone likened the white marble to a blank canvas from which he could carve the dinosaur into.
Over 60 days the artist carved the sculpture in his West London workshop alongside his colleague Liam Winship. To start they began hollowing out the frill at the back of the sculpture and then moved onto the beak and other defining features of the skull. The nearly haunting essence of the fossil’s eyes were particularly alluring for Vanstone and the lines radiating from the eyes are translated in the carving of the sculpture.
To finalise the sculpture was a lengthy polishing process which took around three weeks of hand polishing to complete the finish.
Magic in Mayfair
This unique artistic collaboration is the second public artwork presented by David Aaron in Mayfair, the first being a bronze sculpture inspired by a rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex called ‘Chomper’ which was created in collaboration with a German foundry.
Dinosaurs continue to hold a unique position in the public imagination, embodying both awe and nostalgia. This collaboration between David Aaron and Paul Vanstone brings the monumental presence of a Triceratops into the heart of London, offering a bold reimagining of prehistoric form through modern craftsmanship.
Paul Vanstone’s Carrara Triceratops Skull will remain on display for the next two years.
Find out more about Paul Vanstone’s practice here: https://www.paulvanstone.co.uk/
