Large ICTHUS 47in/120cm Rusted Steel Garden Sculpture: Abstract Modern Metal Art, Indoor or Outdoor Statement Piece

When I first made ICTHUS at 95 cm, I thought of it as a quiet piece, something for a corner of a garden, a gravel bed, or a hallway. Then the messages started coming, almost every week, asking the same thing: is there a bigger one? People sent me photographs of their entrances and courtyards, and I could see they were right. The form wanted more height.

So I went back to the workbench. Scaling a sculpture is not simply a matter of making it larger. The proportions have to be rebuilt, or the whole composition loses its tension. It took a while, but here it is: ICTHUS at 120 cm / 47 inches.

About the piece

Two slender steel bands rise, cross, and gently hold a spherical core. For me, it captures a single suspended moment: tension, balance, and quiet meaning held in metal. The form recalls the ancient Ichthys symbol, not literally but through abstraction, as a sign of inner focus, protection, and presence.

At this height, the sculpture stops being an accent and starts behaving like architecture, drawing a vertical line that organises the space around it. Every element had to grow with the height. I widened the steel bands from 6 cm to 8 cm so that they retain their presence at a distance, enlarged the base hemisphere from 120 mm to 200 mm to give the composition a stronger visual and structural foundation, and positioned the 120 mm sphere higher within the crossing so that it reads as a clear focal point rather than a secondary detail.

I cut, form, and weld every band by hand in my workshop. The surface is a natural rust patina developed through controlled oxidation, not paint. It is a living surface, created by air, moisture, and time, in warm earthy tones that sit naturally beside stone, concrete, timber, and planting.

Two finishes: choose at checkout

Natural rust patina, for outdoor placement.
The oxidation continues to evolve with the seasons, deepening the colour year after year. This is the finish shown in the garden photographs, and the one I recommend if you want the piece to age alongside the landscape. Because the surface is alive and unsealed, it can leave light rust marks on porous stone or paving.

Owatrol Oil sealed, for interiors and covered spaces.
Owatrol is a rust stabiliser applied once the patina has developed. It penetrates the rusted surface, displaces residual moisture and air, stabilises the patina, and forms a protective finish. The colour becomes slightly deeper and richer, while the risk of rust transfer onto surrounding surfaces is greatly reduced. Choose this finish for entrance halls, living rooms, offices, galleries, and covered terraces.

A pair

If you have a symmetrical space, such as a doorway, a gate, or the two sides of a path, consider two. When mirrored, the crossing bands of one answer the other, the two spheres create a horizontal line between them, and what feels poetic in a single piece becomes deliberate and architectural. It stops reading as an ornament and starts reading as a gateway.

To order a pair, select quantity 2 at checkout. I make them as a matched set, developing the patina on both at the same time so that they complement one another from the beginning.

On plinths

Several collectors have raised ICTHUS onto a plinth, and the effect is striking. It raises the sphere towards or above eye level and gives the piece a gallery presence, as shown in one of the photographs.

I do not supply plinths because shipping a heavy stone or concrete block across borders would be impractical and unnecessarily expensive. They are easy to commission locally in stone, poured concrete, painted steel, or hardwood. Write to me first and I will advise you on the appropriate height, footprint, and material for your specific location. I would rather help you get the proportions right than have you guess.

ICTHUS works as a garden or landscape sculpture, a presence on a terrace or patio, or a statement piece in an interior, lobby, office, or gallery. Its restrained geometry does not demand attention, but quietly holds it.

Details and dimensions

Height: 120 cm / 47 inches
Width of steel bands: 8 cm / 3.15 inches
Sphere diameter: 120 mm / 4.72 inches
Base hemisphere diameter: 200 mm / 7.87 inches
Material: steel
Finish: natural rust patina or Owatrol Oil sealed patina, selectable at checkout

Installation

Steel ground rods are included for secure placement in soil or lawn. The base can also be anchored to stone or concrete. The natural rust version is stable, durable, and made for year-round outdoor placement. A plinth is not included.

Please note

Every sculpture is made and finished by hand in my workshop, so slight variations in texture and patina are part of its character. No two pieces are identical.

Follow my work on Instagram: @glugowski_metalcraftsman
More of my work: www.glugowski.com
Short videos: www.youtube.com/@GlugowMetalCraftsman/shorts