COLUMBUS MONUMENTS PAGES
| Place | Artist | Date | Type | ||
| Barcelona (Spain) |
Architect: Gaietà Buigas i Monravà (Cayetano Buigas Monrabá) Sculptors:
|
1888 (restaurations in 1929, 1965, and 1984) |
Statue |
1. The statue and its base (Rafael Atché and Francisco Pastor)
The 7.2 m high statue of Columbus by Rafael Atché stands on a round socle, on which is inscribed the word, "TIERRA,". It shows him at the moment of seeing land in the far distance, pointing to it with the right hand and holding in the left a chart or parchment. He is represented as simply but richly attired as Admiral of the Indies in court dress, and exactly in accordance with the fashion of his times. His uncovered head is of the Jovian type, softened, with long hair flowing over the shoulders.
The statue is of bronze and was originally guilded. It was cast by Francesc Vidal y Compañía in Barcelona.
It stands on a half sphere, on which a part of the zodiac is represented. This hemisphere is on top of the crown of Catalonia. Crown and hemisphere are the work of Francisco Pastor.
The crown is a balcony to which visitors are carried by an elevator which runs in the column.
Below the crown is the coat of arms granted to the Columbus by the Catholic Kings. This coat of arm is made of gilded iron and sculpted by Lluis Ferreri.
2. The column and capital (Leoncio Serra, Lluis Ferreri, and Rossend Nobas)
The 40 m high column is made of cast iron, which weighs 32 tons without the capital and was cast by Alejandro Wohlguemuth in Barcelona. The firm signed the column in the viewing balcony (see below) and at the foot:
The capital shows allegories of the four continents Europe, Asia, Africa, and America doing homage to Columbus (all figures are identical). The design of these bronze allegories is by Leoncio Serra. Below the capital is a red strip with twice the text "GLORIA COLON".
At about one-third of the height of the column is a large medallion with the words, "BARCELONA A COLON."
3. Pedestal
The pedestal is in the form of a cross inserted in an octagon.
Fames, Ship's bows, Griffins and Eagles
At the top of the arms of the cross are allegorical representations with a ship's bow, flanked by griffins with the Barcelona coat-of-arms. Behind and above the bow are two eagles with a sphere in between. On the sphere stands a Fame. They are the work of Francesc Font (who made the first study) and Rossend Nobas, who modelled the statues.
Medaillons
On the sides of the arms of the cross there are eight large bronze medallions representing eight persons with a relation to Columbus:
The models for these medaillons are made by the sculptors mentioned, they were executed by Francisco Pastor.
 Martin Alonso Pinzón |
 Vicente Yañez Pinzón |
 Ferdinand V |
 Isabella I |
 Juan Pérez |
 Antonio de Marchena |
_IMGP2790.jpg) Andrés de Cabrera |
_IMGP2801.jpg) Beatriz de Bobadilla |
Characters of the Discovery
In front of the receding sides stand four groups:
 Jaume Ferrer de Blanes |
 Luis de Santángel |
 Pedro de Margarit |
 Fray Bernat de Boïl |
Allegories of the Spanish kingdoms
In the abutting sides of the cross are four seated statues of Monóvar stone representing the Spanish kingdoms. They are all reconstructions by Josep Miret from 1965:
 Catalonia |
 Léon |
 Aragon |
 Castille |
4. Plinth
The plinth has the form of a truncated cone. It is about 4 meter high by 18 meter in diameter at the foot. It is built of enormous ashlers from the quarries of Monjuich.
Reliefs and Coats-of-arms
On the plinth are eight bronze bas-reliefs (each of c. 3.30 x 1 m) depicting Columbus' principal feats.
Alternating with the high-reliefs are the coats of arms of the different towns and regions related to the relief to the right of it. These coast-of-arms, in limestone and 1.6 x 1.25 m large, are the work of the sculptor Lluis Ferreri.
 Huelva |
 Córdoba |
 Salamanca |
 Santa Fé |
 Palos |
 Puerto Rico |
 Cuba |
 Barcelona |
5. Base
The base is a circular structure (20 meter in diameter), built of freestone; it is about 1.2 meter above the level of the aquare. it is broken by four staircases of 6 meter wide, each flanked by two bronze lions, those on the NW and SE side couchant, those on the SW and NE side standing. These lions were sculpted by Agapit Vallmitjana, and cast by Wohlguemut. Each lion has the signature:
EN CONMEMORACION DEL IV CENTENARIO
DEL DESCUBRIMIENTO DE AMERICA
OCTUBRE DE MDCCCXCII
Inside the pedestal, behind the ticket office:
EL AYUNTAMIENTO CONSTITUCIONAL DE BARCELONA EN X DE MAYO
DE MDCCCLXXXI ACORDÓ LA ERECCIÓN DE ESTE MONUMENTO CONFIANDO
SU REALIZACIÓN A LA COMISIÓN CENTRAL EJECUTIVA COMPUESTA DE
D. FRANCISCO DE P. RIUS Y TAULET, PRESIDENTE
D. JOSÉ AMELL, TESORERO, D. CARLOS PIROZZINI, SECRETARIO
VOCALES
|
EL MARQUÉS DE COMILLAS D. ANTONIO FAGES Y FERRER D. JOSÉ CANELA Y REVENTÓS D. JOSE Mª SERRA EL MARQUÉS DE PALMEROLA D. JOAQUIN CURRI D. JUAN MARTINEZ YLLESCAS |
D. PEDRO CASAS D. FRANCISCO TRAVILLA D. MANUEL FELIU Y COMA D. JUAN DE MAZA D. ESTEBAN AMENGUAL D. ANTONIO MICHEL D. PEDRO BOSCH Y LABRÚS |
D. JUAN COLL Y PUJOL D. VICENTE DE ROMERO D. FRANCISCO GUMÁ Y FERRAN EL MARQUÉS DE CAMPS D. RÓMULO MORAGAS Y OROZ D. EVARISTO ARNÚS D. CLAUDIO LOPEZ Y BRÚ |
D. PEDRO DE SOTOLONGO D. JUAN MARTORELL D. FRANCISCO LA GASCA D. RAFAEL DE FEDUCHI D. JOSÉ JUAN CABOT D. DOMINGO SERT D. ALBERTO FAURA |
D. CASIMIRO CUSACHS D. MANUEL PORCAR D, FRANCISCO BENET Y COLOM D. BENIGNO DE SALAS D. EVARISTO DE CASARIEGO D. RAMON SORIANO D. EDUARDO MALUQUER |
D. JULIO VALDÉS D. GABRIEL LLUCH D. MARIANO FUSTER D. JUAN DE FLOREZ |
(The constitutional city council of Barcelona on 10th of May of 1881 decided the erection this monument trusting its accomplishment to the executive central commission composed of Don Francisco de P. Rius y Taulet, president, Don Jose Amell, treasurer, Don Carlos Pirozzini, secretary, members (39 names). Don G. Buigas Monravá projected and directed the work).
Inside the pedestal, just opposite the entrance:
A LOS XXVI DIAS DEL MES DE SETIEMBRE DE MDCCCLXXXVII AÑO VIII
DEL REINADO DE D. ALFONSO XII COLOCOSE SOLEMNEMENTE LA PRI-
MERA PIEDRA DE ESTE MONUMENTO, HALLANDOSE PRESENTES LAS
AUTORIDADES SUPERIORES Y UNA COMISIÓN DE LA MUNICIPALIDAD
DE GÉNOVA.
EL DIA I. DE JUNIO DE MDCCCLXXXVIII. INAUGURÓ ESTE MONUMENTO
S.M. LA REINA REGENTE DA MARIA CRISTINA, HALLANDOSE REPRESEN-
TADOS EN DICHO ACTO S.M. EL REY DE ITALIA D. HUMBERTO I, EL PRE-
SIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA GROVER CLEVELAND
Y EL MUNICIPIO DE LA ILUSTRE CIUDAD DE GÉNOVA
(On the 26th day of the month of September of 1882, the 8th year of the reign of Don Alfonso XII solemnly the first stone of this monument was laid in presency of the superior authorities and a commission of the municipality of Genoa. On the 1st day of june of 1888 Her Majesty the Queen-regent Doña Maria Cristina inaugurated this monument, in presency of His Majesty the King of Italy Don Humberto I, the president of the United States of America Grover Cleveland and the municipality of the illustrious city of Genoa)
On the viewing balcony are two plaquettes mounted on the column:
|
A. WOHLGUEMUTH
INGENIERO CONSTRUCTOR EN BARCELONA, FUNDIÓ ESTA COLUMNA EN 8 TROZOS
CONCLUIDA EN MARZO 1888 |
The second plaquette on the column in the balcony gives information on the latest restauration (with text in Catalan, whereas all other texts are in Spanish:
|
REFORÇ ESTRUCTURAL DEL
MONUMENT A COLON INICIAT: 5.6.82 FINALITZAT: 16.7.84 DRS. ARQUITECTES: CARLES BUXADÉ JOSEP M. CASANOVAS JOAN MARGARIT APARELLADOR: JOAN BOSCH REALITZACIÓ: sapic DRS. ENGINYERS INDUSTRIALS: FRANCESC ARTÚS JERONI VILLANUEVA FACULTATIU DE MINES: LLUIS CASAFONT |
Finally, there is a plaquette just below the Columbus coat-of-arms on the Ramblas-side:
RESTAURACION DEL MONUMENTO
A CRISTOBAL COLON...
History
In 1881, the Barcelona City Council appointed a committee, chaired by the Mayor Francesc Ruis i Taulet, responsible for financing and building the monument. Later, the architect Gaietà Buigas won the second municipal competition for projects for the execution of the monument, following an initial contest with no winners. The work combines stone, iron and bronze.
Barcelona is the place where the Catholic Kings received Columbus on his return from his first voyage, but until 1856 nobody had ever thought of erecting a memorial to him there. In 1856 a rich citizen of the town, Antoni Fages i Ferrer, an enthusiastic admirer of Columbus, proposed to the city council the erection of a Columbus memorial, to be entirely the work of Catalonian artists. Because of political troubles very little attention was paid to his project. At last, in 1872, he found an enthusiastic supporter in the mayor of the city, Francesc Rius i Taulet. After his re-election in 1881, Fagas urged Rius to take the project in hand. The "Comisión Central Ejecutiva del Monumento á Cristobal Colon" was formed with Rius as president (see the inscription) and to open a public subscription for the expenses. The sum of $200,000 was required and the greater part of it was raised in four years; the deficit, $24,000, was covered by the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona, which contributed $14,000, and by the Municipality of the same city, which donated $10,000.
Spanish artists exclusively, were invited to compete. Twenty-eight artists presented their designs and reports and the first prize was awarded to Gaietà Buigas i Monravà, a Catalonian architect, who was charged with the direction of the work. Buigas called to his aid a number of Catalonlan artists, and apportioned the different parts of the work among them.
The corner-stone was laid on 28 September 1882. Six years later the work was completed and was dedicated on 1 June 1888.
The monument is entirely Spanish; it was raised with Spanish money exclusively, to such a degree, that the President of the United States and the King of ltaly, having expressed a desire to take part in the subscription, their offers were politely declined. The iron, steel, bronze, stone and lime employed in its construction are all Spanish, and the conception, direction and handiwork of every one of its partsis not only all Spanish, but exclusively Catalonian.
Ponce de Léon commented in 1893: "Undoubtedly, Barcelona has a right to boast of having erected in honor of the great Admiral, the most beautiful, noble, rich and artistic of all the memorials yet raised by human-hands in memory of Columbus, as those of Genoa, Madrid, Mexico and New York, cannot for a moment bear comparison with that of the capital of the Principality of Catalonia."
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| Introduction page | © 2006 Peter van der Krogt |