Rights to reproduce rugby creator's image up for sale

According to legend he invented rugby by breaking the rules during a school football match and running with the ball.

Now the image of William Webb Ellis could be used the world over to promote everything from cars to cakes as the rights to reproduce his statue go on sale at auction.

Artist Graham Ibbeson created a bronze of Webb Ellis, which stands outside Rugby School, in the 1990s and is now selling the original 8ft fibreglass casting made during the process, along with the image rights.

The lot is expected to fetch more than £200,000 when it goes on sale at a sculpture auction in October.

The successful bidder will be able to use the statue's image in any way they choose and the Barnsley-based sculptor said he felt the time was right for someone to exploit his creation in a positive way.

"What this enables someone to do, whether it be a Japanese car company or a bakery or whatever, is use that image to promote their goods.

"I just thought with the world cup in Japan coming in 2019, this is a great time to do it.

"I want to see that figure out there and want to see it promoted properly.

"It's an unusual step, but I'm an unusual artist." 

Graham Ibbeson

Mr Ibbeson, whose best-known work is the statue of comedian Eric Morecambe which stands at Morecambe Bay, actually used his then 13-year-old son Max as a model for Webb Ellis, as no images were available of him as a boy.

The artist said he "wasn't precious" about his work and hopes the use of its image will promote the town of Rugby as the birthplace of the game.

Webb Ellis purportedly invented the game while a pupil at Rugby School in 1823, when he caught a football and ran with it and the Rugby World Cup trophy is named after him.

A smaller-scale version of the statue stands near his grave at the cemetery in Menton, France, while a third replica is owned by a private collector.

Duncan Lang, director of auctioneers Farnon and Lake, said: "This is a chance for someone to do whatever they want with this image.

"It is a fantastic way for a piece of the artist's work to get immense public recognition."

The auction is due to take place at Aynhoe Park, in Oxfordshire, on October 5 and interested bidders must register at www.farnonandlake.com in advance.