LARGEST -- Bronze Sculpture in Europe
N 51° 30.149 W 000° 09.044
30U E 697746 N 5709554
The Wellington Arch in London, England, has a bronze quadrica (a chariot drawn by four horses) statue on top. The quadriga was placed in honor of Edward VII and is the largest bronze sculpture in Europe.
Waymark Code: WMF3JH
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/17/2012
Views: 21
A memorial plaque on the front of the Wellington Arch reads:
The Quadriga surmounting this arch was presented to the nation as a mark of deepest loyalty and respect to his late revered majesty Edward VII by Herbert First Baron Michelham of Hellingly KCVO.
MCMXII
ABOUT THE QUADRIGA:
"Decimus Burton had originally envisaged a sculpture of a quadriga on top of the arch. His intentions were finally realised in 1912, with the installation of a huge bronze designed by Adrian Jones. It is based on a smaller original which caught the eye of Edward VII at a Royal Academy exhibition. The sculpture depicts the angel of peace descending on the chariot of war. The face of the charioteer leading the quadriga is that of a small boy (actually the son of Lord Michelham, the man who funded the sculpture). The angel of peace was modelled on Beatrice Stewart. The statue is the largest bronze sculpture in Europe."
-- Source