The Monument to Cánovas del Castillo (Spanish: Monumento a Cánovas del Castillo) is an instance of public art located in Madrid, Spain. The monument consists of a bronze statue of Antonio Cánovas del Castillo by Joaquín Bilbao at the top of a pedestal designed by José Grases Riera that features additional sculptural elements by Bilbao.

Monument to Cánovas del Castillo

Monumento a Cánovas del Castillo
Coordinates	40.420942°N 3.711528°W / 40.420942; -3.711528
Location	Plaza de la Marina Española, Madrid, Spain
Designer	Pedestal: José Grases Riera Statues: Joaquín Bilbao
Opening date	1 January 1901
Dedicated to	Antonio Cánovas del Castillo

History and description

It was funded via popular subscription.[1] It is located at the Plaza de la Marina Española,[2] next to the Palace of the Senate.

Following the description by Carlos Luis de Cuenca [es], the monument features a lower circular basement.[1] Over the first course, it lies a body with 12 drawers decorated with ornamental plants, featuring some buttresses on its superior limit.[1] In the middle body, there are two bronze sculptural groups placed in two ledges: on the front ledge there is a seated statue—History—writing the remarkable facts of the Cánovas' life in a book and a second standing statue—Glory—that leans with one hand on History and pulls with the other hand a laurel wreath touching the name of Cánovas, carved on the column emerging from the central body;[1] on the back ledge there is a bronze trophy formed by a lion, the Spanish coat of arms and a flag.[1] The truncated column is topped by a statue of Cánovas in an oratorical attitude, advancing his right arm while resting his left hand on a book placed on a pedestal.[1]

It was inaugurated on 1 January 1901.[3]

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Cuenca, Carlos Luis de (8 January 1901). "Nuestros grabados". La Ilustración Española y Americana. XLV (1): 3–8. ISSN 1889-8394.
• López Ulloa, Fabián (2007). "José Grases Riera, en la innovación constructiva de Madrid del último tercio del siglo XIX y primeros años del XX" (PDF). Actas del Quinto Congreso Nacional de Historia de la Construcción, Burgos, 7-9 junio 2007. ISBN 978-84-9728-244-4.
• Reyero, Carlos (2003). "Monumentalizar la capital. La escultura conmemorativa en Madrid durante el siglo XIX". In Lacarra Ducay, M.ª del Carmen; Giménez Navarro, Cristina (eds.). Historia y política a través de la Escultura pública 1820-1920 (PDF). Zaragoza: Institución Fernando el Católico. pp. 41–62. ISBN 84-7820-686-8.