Big baby at centre of art exhibit

The Planet sculpture floats over the Chatsworth garden

An exhibition of modern sculpture, including a 30ft long (9.1m) bronze baby, has been opened in the grounds of a Derbyshire stately home.

More than 20 works are included in the Beyond Limits exhibition in the grounds of Chatsworth House near Chesterfield.

The baby sculpture, which is covered in white paint, is called "Planet" and is the work of artist Marc Quinn.

The show, organised by auction house Sotheby's, will remain at Chatsworth until 2 November.

Salvador Dali

Chatsworth spokesman Simon Seligman said: "It appears that the baby is floating above the ground but actually it is a feat of engineering that creates the illusion that the baby is just hovering there."

The six-tonne sculpture was created in Spain and brought to England by ship and lorry. A 90-tonne crane was used to lift it into place.

"What to my mind makes the event here so compelling, is not only the exciting nature of the pieces we're able to bring together, but also - and very importantly - the drama of the setting," said Alexander Platon, director of Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Department.

The most famous example of Quinn's work was Alison Lapper Pregnant, a sculpture depicting a woman who was born without arms when she was heavily pregnant, which used to stand on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London.

The exhibit also includes a bronze bear by François-Xavier Lalanne, called Le Tres Grand Ours (The Very Big Bear).

Among the sculptures in the 105 acres of gardens is a bronze work called Femme en Flamme by Salvador Dali.

Works by artists from Colombia, Israel, Chile, Japan, France, Italy, England and the USA are also included in the show.

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A bronze baby is one of the exhibits