Monument to Alfonso XIII (Madrid)

The Monument to Alfonso XIII is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. Located in the Ciudad Universitaria, it consists of a bronze statue dedicated to Alfonso XIII, signifying the latter's role as promoter behind the erection of the campus in the 1920s.

Alfonso XIII
Map
40°26′55″N 3°43′41″W / 40.448711°N 3.728097°W / 40.448711; -3.728097
LocationCiudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain
DesignerFructuoso Orduna
MaterialBronze, stone
Height2.5 m (statue)
Opening date28 September 1988
Dedicated toAlfonso XIII

History and description

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The Permanent Committee of the Junta of Ciudad Universitaria awarded the design of a statue of Alfonso XIII to Fructuoso Orduna in March 1941.[1] The statue is the casting of one of the two plaster models of the former monarch that Orduna completed back by 1946.[2] The other one was about 5 metre high.[3] The plaster sculpture languished for decades stored in Arganda del Rey until it was cast in bronze.[2]

Gustavo Villapalos, the rector of the Complutense University of Madrid, decided to place the statue in the Ciudad Universitaria,[1] and it was thus unveiled on 28 September 1988 during a ceremony attended by the Count of Barcelona (son of Alfonso XIII) and María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as well as their daughters Pilar and Margarita.[4]

The bronze figure, about 2.5 metre high,[2] consists of a standing full-body depiction of Alfonso XIII wearing the clothes of Grand Maester of the Order of Charles III and the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece while holding a scepter with his left hand.[2]

The discreet pasture chosen as location for the monument makes it easy for the latter to become a target for vandal attacks.[3]

Bibliography

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Citations
  1. ^ a b Fernández de Sevilla Morales 1993, p. 322.
  2. ^ a b c d Portela Sandoval 2001, p. 42.
  3. ^ a b Gómez Moreno 2015, p. 707.
  4. ^ "Alfonso XIII, en su ciudad universitaria". ABC. Madrid: 1. 29 September 1988.
Bibliography