An opulent and ornate gilded sculpture is being created for the Queen’s royal barge that will take pride of place in her Diamond Jubilee river pageant.

The luxury cruiser – the Spirit of Chartwell – will be adorned with a magnificent sculpture during the River Thames event this summer.

Alan Lamb, head of historic carving at City and Guilds of London Art School, has sculptured a design featuring a range of historical, royal and nautical characters and motifs.

Award-winning production designer Joseph Bennett, who is leading the project, said: “The brief was to basically change the Spirit of Chartwell which is lovely – but a commercial vessel – into something for one day that is appropriate to the occasion as the centrepiece to a thousand boats.”

Mr Bennett, who has worked on films like Charlotte Gray, Jude and the television series Rome, added: “The magnificent sculpture that will adorn the front of the royal barge will truly be a thing of beauty.

“The royal barge will be the jewel in the crown of the river pageant and with the eyes of the world upon it, it’s a chance for us to display just what Britain and its artisans can achieve.”

Details about the 1,000 vessels taking part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant were released last month with an array of kayaks, tall ships, former naval warships and dragon boats amongst those featured.

But the centrepiece will be the royal barge which will carry the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the royal family.

The decoration on its prow will feature two enormous statues of Old Father Thames, cornucopias – horns of plenty – spilling over with shells and crabs, and the royal cypher.

A pair of two-metre-high statues of scaly sharp-toothed classical dolphins – a symbol of the Thames – are part of the display.

Flowers and vegetables representing the four countries of the UK are part of the artwork along with models of Britannia riding sea horses.

More than two tonnes of terracotta clay are being used to create the sculpture, which will be cast inacrylic resin and gilded with 22-carat gold leaf before being fitted to the barge.

Mr Lamb said: “We want to produce a work of art worthy of the occasion but also something that people will find interesting and entertaining as well as majestic.

“While still based on traditional images, the dolphins and other sea creatures should appeal to children’s (and adults’) sense of fun, while Old Father Thames and Britannia lend the grandeur that the sculpture needs to perform its ceremonial function.”