Quilter’s Last

A Special Commission

A new statue was requested for use on the Nauvoo Temple. Karl Quilter submitted multiple designs, talked about later in this book. The desire was for something special for the Nauvoo Temple.

Description

Standing at just 6’ 10” tall, this third statue of Quilter’s was sculpted primarily for the Nauvoo Temple. The truly unique feature of this statue is the left hand. It falls down at the statue’s side like other preceding statues, but unlike any other Moroni in use, the hand is relaxed and open.

Another identifying feature of this statue is the robes. They have a heavier, more layered look, and appear far more disorderly and windswept than Quilter’s two previous statues.

First use

The first placement of one of this statue model was upon the Reno Nevada Temple on 18 February 2000. The statue placed was painted in gold automotive paint, giving it an appearance that occasionally looked brown, rather than gold. The painted statue was replaced in 2014 with an identical model statue that was instead gilded, giving it the more traditional bright and shiny appearance.

Mistaken Identity

All three of Karl Quilter’s statues are often lumped together as one, in conjunction with LaVar Wallgren’s statue, in articles discussing the various statues. This statue also suffers the further indignity of being mistaken with a fourth statue of Quilter’s. Legend goes, and has been discussed in many publications, that this statue is a large scale replica of a sculpture created by Karl Quilter to be given to his grandchildren should they complete all the standard works in a single year.^[1] Elder Glenn L. Rudd “The Angel Moroni” BYU-Idaho Devotional, March 11, 2003. It is not a replica of that statue, being instead a separate, unique creation created primarily for the Nauvoo Temple.^[2] Based on personal observation, having seen a copy of the statue that was made for grandchildren in storage at the Church History Museum, the statue lacks the open left hand and looks more to be like a combination of his 1985 and 1997 statues.

This statue has been used a total of three times, with the first placement coming on the 26^th of February in the Year 2000. This first copy, covered in Gold Auto body paint, was placed atop the Reno Nevada Statue and remained until 29 September 2014, when it was replaced with a gold leafed replica of the same statue.

Identification Guide