Adam Smith Statue

An imposing bronze mounted on a buff-coloured sandstone base located next to St. Giles Kirk on the High Street section of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Adam Smith Statue represents the world's first major public monument to the economist and philosopher. It was unveiled on 4th July 2008 by Nobel Prize-winning American economist Vernon Smith. The work of Paisley-based sculptor Sandy Stoddart (b.1959), it was cast by the Edinburgh foundry, Powderhall Bronze. Financed by private donations and commissioned by the Adam Smith Institute, the statue depicts Smith dressed in 18th century style with an academic gown draped over his shoulder. His right hand is hidden to signify his belief in the 'invisible hand' that guides the economy. Behind him is a plough, representing the agrarian economics which Smith supplanted, while before him is a beehive, a symbol of the industry on which he believed progress was based.


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