Equestrian statue

The equestrian statue holds a role with share in the field of the Sculpture. It is the statue of a character assembled on a Cheval.

Characteristic

It is reserved to the monarchs, to the heroes or to the warriors conquerors and always presents a exercise of virtuosity of the artist. From its nature, it can be only very not easily made out of stone, the Bronze is thus necessary, but even in this metal, its realization holds of the prowess.

In an anecdotic way, there would exist a tacit rule undoubtedly tightening more urban and, in the facts, little followed Légende, which would make it possible to determine the conditions of dead rider: when the horse has the two legs before liftings, its rider died in the combat, while when only a front leg is raised, the rider died following its wounds with the combat. If the four legs touch ground, the hero died naturally.

Some remarkable equestrian statues

equestrian Statue of Marc-Aurèle, place of the Capitole to Rome

The equestrian statue of Marc-Aurèle is undoubtedly the equestrian statue most famous, and also oldest, the only one of ancient Rome which arrived to us. Resting on three feet, the bronze horse and its rider, show the control of the ancient founders. The statue was in the entirely gilded beginning. That which one admires nowadays is in fact a perfect counterpart, the original being preserved safe from corrosion in the rooms of the Musée of Capitole.

A representation of the statue was chosen by the Italian government to be reproduced on the part of 50 centimes Euro.

For the little story this statue survived the cast iron because the Christians, who dismantled all bronzes of Rome, believed that it was about the statue of Constantin Ier, first Christian Emperor.

Gattamelata of Donatello to Padoue

Donatello (1386-1466) carries out this statue very inspired by that of Marc-Aurèle. It is the first equestrian statue since antiquity. The Condottiere Gattamelata is vêtu with the antique and assembles a heavy horse, however the perfect proportions of the unit will constitute for a long time a model for the equestrian statues to come. The statue is on Piazza del Santo with Padoue.

Bartolomeo Colleoni with Venice

Work of the sculptor Florentin Andrea Del Verrocchio (1435-1488), the statue is a ordering of the République of Venice. The Condottiere (chief of the companies of mercenaries), left with his death, all his fortune in Venice, provided that a statue with its glory is set up on the Place Saint Marc. Finally the statue was deposited in front of the scuola Saint-Marc . It was carried out between 1479 and 1488, it is the last work of Verrocchio. The voluntary and savage expression of the Condottiere and the impetuous movement of the horse make the unit majestic. This statue is regarded as one of the big bosses of work of the world statuary.

Cosme Ier de Médicis, with Florence

Rule out of bronze of Jean Bologna, place of Signoria.

Philippe III with Madrid

The equestrian statue of Philippe III is an early work created by Pietro Tacca (1577-1640) in collaboration with its Master Jean of Bologna (1529-1608). The king remains rather hieratic in a composition which still points out the Rebirth and is very inspired by the statue of Marc-Aurèle, even attitude of the rider and the horse. It is on the Plaza Mayor of Madrid.

Philippe IV in Madrid

Work main of same the Pietro Tacca, this gigantic statue, four times more than natural, is a masterpiece of virtuosity. It is one of the first equestrian statue presenting a pulled up horse, the fluidity of the statue is surprising: it seems to exonerate laws of gravity. Pietro Tacca has recourse to an easy way to guarantee the balance of its work while making rest the bronze mass on three supports: legs back of the horse, but also the tail of the animal, which touches the socle.
The statue is set up on the Plaza de Oriente close to the Royal palace in Madrid.

Louis XIV with Versailles

The photograph opposite represents the statue bronzes of it of the Sun king of the main courtyard, which was set up in 1837 within the framework of the renovation work prescribed by Louis-Philippe Ist On the spot, one can note besides that the statues of the horse and the king have slightly different proportions. The statue recently left the court of the castle of Versailles for the workshops of restoration. On his return, Louis XIV and his horse will have to find a new site to be posed, because the old one will be occupied by the royal grid in the course of restitution. The question of the furtur site of the statue made run beucoup ink and did not finish yet!

There exists in addition in Versailles another equestrian statue, ordered by Louis XIV in 1671 with the famous sculptor and architect Gianlorenzo Bernini known as Bernin (1598 -1680). This one carries it out marble and in 1677 delivers it to occupy the center of the main courtyard of Versailles, but it displeases to the king who prefers the traditional style and too baroque finds it. It thereafter will be transformed into Marcus Curtius and will be placed close to the water part to Swiss in the gardens of Versailles. In 1988, a counterpart in Plomb will be carried out by the Coubertin foundries and is placed in the Napoleon court of the Louvre. In 2005, this remarkable equestrian statue was transferred by the Bovis company towards its new place from exposure, with the orangery of the castle.

Louis XIV, Place of the Victories to Paris

A first statue in feet of Louis XIV, due to Martin Desjardins and set up on this site will be removed and molten to produce guns in 1792. To repair this loss, Louis XVIII order a new statue with the sculptor François Joseph Bosio (1768 -1845). The statue is inaugurated on August 25th 1828.
Bosio, which took as a starting point the statue of Philippe III, represents the Sun king as an Roman Emperor on a horse pulled up in pure a Style baroque. On the base of the statue, Bas-relief S out of bronze illustrate the passage of the the Rhine by the French troops and the institution of the royal and military Ordre of Saint-Louis by Louis XIV in 1693. The statue is visible nowadays with the center of the place.

Louis XIV, Place Bellecour with Lyon

The statue which throne in the center of the famous place is a work of the Lyons sculptor François-Frederic Lemot which carried it out in 1825 to replace that destroyed during the revolution. This statue was run with Paris and transported to Lyon, in twelve days, on an attachment trails by twenty-four horses. It was paid 373.750 francs. The entry of the statue in the city was an occasion of festivals which attracted a big competition of spectators. One discussed, one wrote much about the inscriptions to place on the Piédestal. The Academy of Lyon was interfered. The inauguration took place the November 3rd 1826, day before festival of Charles X. A platform in the shape of circus, very elegantly decorated, had been built to receive the authorities and the principal inhabitants of Lyon. Medals commemorative of the ceremony were distributed in great number. A characteristic of this statue is the overlapping with the Roman (without clamps) of the cavalier.
In 1848, it failed to know the same fate as the preceding statue but the new revolutionists will be finally satisfied to erase the dedication in Latin.
Once again, in 1871 it was a question of removing it place. It remained, anonymous there, the Lyoneses name it “the bronze horse”.

Henri IV on the New Bridge in Paris

It is with the bronze recovered of the unbolted statue of the general Desaix Place of the Victories that is carried out a copy of the statue of Henri IV destroyed with the Revolution. Louis XVIII order the statue with Frederic-François Lemot which recreates it according to engravings, it is inaugurated in 1818. The founder was, says one, Bonapartist, and would have hidden in the statue a statuette of Napoleon. Indeed, the restoration carried out recently made it possible to discover 4 boxes out of lead which contained the official documents and of the medals of the inauguration and 3 small unexpected boxes containing of the documents whose content was not revealed. ----- From Bore-hole, in its edition of 1836 teaches us that: Henriade which was published in 1785 in 2 vol. in-8° by printing works of the typographical under the title of “Henriade, poem, followed Company literary notes and alternatives”, thirty specimens of this edition have drawn summers on vellum and that one of them was placed, in 1818, in the belly of the horse of the equestrian statue of Henri IV, restored this same year (on August 25th, 1818) on the quay level from the Pont-Neuf in Paris. ----

Louis XIII, Place from the Vosges in Paris

This statue out of white marble, work of Jean-Pierre Cortot and Louis Dupaty, was installed in 1825 to replace that destroyed with the Revolution.

equestrian Statue of Pierre Large the with Saint-Pétersbourg

Had to the French sculptor Falconet, this statue, known under the name of “the Rider of bronze”, was set up on a monolithic base of 1250 tons (see article Mégalithe). It was inaugurated by Catherine II in 1782.

Joukov in Moscow

Represent the Joukov Marshal on a horse with the Amble.

Disappeared equestrian statues

The French revolution ordered the destruction of the near total of the large royal bronze statues through France to recover invaluable bronze in order to melt of the guns and also to cut down the symbols of monarchy.

The first statue of Henri IV on the New bridge

This statue, ordered by Marie de Médicis about 1605, was to be carried out with Florence by Jean of Boulogne, but this one dies and it is its pupil, François Franqueville which finally finishes it in 1613. It is sent in France by sea, but the boat makes shipwreck with broad Sardinia. It was necessary to still wait a year to fish out the statue which is finally set up the August 23rd 1614. The statue is destroyed and remelted with the Revolution. It was the first bronze equestrian statue of a French monarch.

Louis XIV by François Girardon (1628-1715)

This statue, will be set up in 1699 on the place Louis the Large one, today Place Vendôme. It was a 6,5 meters height monumental statue, the masterpiece of the sculptor. It was destroyed during the French revolution. A cast iron in miniature is visible with the Musée of Louvre.

The first statue of Louis XIV, Bellecour place

The Bellecour place undergoes at the end of the reign of Louis XIV an urban revival and is baptized Louis place the Large one. An equestrian statue, works of Martin Desjardins, is installed there in 1713. On its base of the low-reliefs represent the Rhone and the Saone, they was saved destruction and was preserved at the Town hall during long years before being reinstalled on both sides pedestal of the new statue of 1952. But of the statue there remain nothing and the whole place will be destroyed to punish Lyon of its resistance anti-revolutionist.

The first statue of Louis XIII, place of the Vosges

It is Richelieu which ordered in 1639 this statue of bronze to occupy the center of the Royale place (renamed in 1800 place of the Vosges ) in order to prevent there the frequent duels which proceeded there. At the time of the revolution, it will be destroyed to recover bronze in order to melt of the guns.

The first statue of Louis XIV with Montpellier

This statue had been drawn by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and was a splendid bronze work of 450 quintals. It was set up in Peyrou on February 27th, 1718 and was placed on a marble pedestal of Carrare 6 height meters on which was engraved a Latin inscription: “The States of Languedoc voted this monument with Louis the Large one of sound living and set it up after its death in 1718”. The statue was cut down on October 2nd, 1792 and the remains sent to Lyon to be exchanged against eight guns intended to arm the provincial militia.

Remarkable projects of equestrian statues

François Sforza of Léonard de Vinci with Milan

In 1482, Ludovic Sforza duke of Milan, proposed in Léonard de Vinci to build the largest equestrian statue of the world: a monument with the glory of his/her father François Ier Sforza. After almost 16 years of studies, Léonard finished the construction of the model, but never on the occasion to make it out of bronze.
En 1999, while taking as a starting point this project, two reproductions of the horse only were created. A specimen of the Cheval of Léonard is in Milan and the other with Grand Rapids with the Michigan.

Other equestrian statues

  • Jeanne d' Arc, Place Saint-Augustin in Paris
  • Jeanne d' Arc, Places Jeanne d' Arc at Toulouse
  • the Maid of Orleans, rules of Jeanne d' Arc with Orleans, place of Martroi, rules monumental (4,4 m height), due to the sculptor Denis Foyatier and inaugurated in 1844.
  • Jeanne d' Arc with Vaucouleurs, place of the Hotel-of-City (transported since Algiers in 1964).
  • Jeanne d' Arc with Caen, gilded statue, place of Resistance. It molten with Oran (Algérie) in 1931 and was repatriated after independence.
  • Bertrand of Guesclin, statue set up in 1902 with Dinan and which had to the sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet

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