Puy de Dôme Sculpture, University of Southampton

The Puy de Dôme is a public sculpture created by F E McWilliam between 1962 and 1963. It is located in a rectangular pool designed by Basil Spence and Partners, adjacent to the Nuffield Theatre on the University of Southampton's Highfield Campus.

The sculpture is made of cast bronze and is set in a lead-lined concrete pool. The pool features sides constructed from yellow brick and ashlar blocks. The sculpture itself depicts an abstract reclining nude figure, characterized by a head and body formed from a series of triangular shapes. It rests on four points in the shallow rectangular pool, giving the impression that it floats on the water. The bronze surface has varying textures, creating the look of a rough, broken-surfaced, attenuated or decaying figure, with an underlying structure visible. The pool measures approximately 11 meters long by 6.5 meters wide. The east and west sides of the pool are made of yellow brick, while the north and south sides consist of substantial ashlar blocks that rise above the surrounding pavement, providing bench seating in this central communal area of the university campus.