James Clerk Maxwell’s statue in George Street, Edinburgh was sculpted by Alexander Stoddart and cast by the Black Isle Bronze foundry, Nairn. It was unveiled on 25th November 2008. Maxwell's stature as a physicist is comparable to Newton and Einstein, though he is not so well known generally.

Maxwell is shown holding his ‘colour top’, a spinning disc with sectors of coloured paper which he used to investigate the physiology of colour vision.

His greatest legacy is his synthesis of electricity and magnetism, showing that the two are inextricably linked, leading to the concepts of electromagnetic waves that are now the basis for all radio communication, all optics and is one of the cornerstones of special relativity.

A small plaque on the east side of the plinth reproduces the four Maxwell Equations of electromagnetism.

Photo 944, May 2011

James Clerk Maxwell Statue

Photo 945, May 2011