Equestrian statue of Charles I, Charing Cross
Charles I | |
---|---|
Artist | Hubert Le Sueur |
Year | 1633 |
Type | Equestrian statue |
Medium | Bronze |
Subject | Charles I of England |
Location | London, WC2 United Kingdom |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Statue of Charles I |
Designated | 9 January 1970 |
Reference no. | 1357291[1] |
51°30′26″N 0°07′40″W / 51.50734°N 0.12768°W |
The equestrian statue of Charles I at Charing Cross, London, England, is a work by the French sculptor Hubert Le Sueur, probably cast in 1633. It is considered the central point of London.
Its location at
The first
Description
The statue shows Charles I of England on horseback, with the king wearing a demi-suit of armour but without a helmet. Across the chest is a scarf tied into a bow on the right shoulder. The king is holding a baton in his right hand, and the reins of the horse in his left.[2]
History
The 24-year-old Charles succeeded his father in March 1625. The statue was commissioned by Weston in January 1630.
The contract, in French with an English translation, is thought to have been drafted by the architect Balthazar Gerbier, who was then building Putney Park, Weston's country house in Roehampton. The statue was to be finished in 18 months (summer 1631), but its execution was delayed; the date 1633 inscribed on the horse's left forefoot is probably when the work was cast.[5]
After the Parliamentary victory in the English Civil War, the statue was sold to John Rivet, a metalsmith in the Holborn area.[6] Rivet received instructions from Parliament to break down the statue, but instead he hid it on his premises. He produced some broken pieces of brass as evidence that he had followed his instructions, and for some time sold brass-handled cutlery to both Royalists and Parliamentarians, which he claimed was made from the remains of the statue.[6]
After the
On 28 October 1844, during the visit of Queen Victoria to open the Royal Exchange, the sword and the badge of the Order of the Garter were stolen. During the Second World War the statue was removed by the Ministry of Works for protection, and was stored at Mentmore Park, Leighton Buzzard.[7] Before being returned to its plinth in Whitehall, the Ministry carried out some repairs on the statue, including adding a replacement sword and the badge of the Order of the Garter. Additionally, a bronze tablet was added to the base of the plinth, explaining the addition of the replacement items.[8]
In late 1892, the
In 1977, the plinth was cleaned for the first time in three centuries. The work was conducted by the
See also
References
- ^ Historic England. "Statue of Charles I (1357291)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Gather, G. H.; Wheeler, E. P., eds. (1935). Survey of London. Vol. 16. London: Country Life for the London County Council. pp. 258–268.
- ^ "Where Is The Centre of London?". BBC. 15 August 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ a b Howard, Philip (14 January 1977). "Charles I's plinth is cleaned". The Times. No. 59907. p. 8.
- ^ Ward-Jackson 2011, p. 288
- ^ a b Chambers, Robert (1864). The Book of Days. Edinburgh: W. and R. Chambers. p. 484.
Statue of Charles I.
- ^ "How Much Do You Really Know About Trafalgar Square?". Londonist. Londonist.com. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Return of Charles I Statue". The Times. No. 50752. 5 May 1947. p. 8.
- hdl:10107/3754181.[dead link]
- ^ "Our Library Table". The Athenaeum. J. Lection. 1895.
- ^ "Summary of To-Day's News". Western Morning News. 28 January 1893.
- ^ "Politics and Society". Leeds Mercury. 13 February 1893.
- ^ "Monarchy in Miniature". Lancashire Evening Post. 31 January 1893.
- Bibliography
- Ward-Jackson, Philip (2011). Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1. Public Sculpture of Britain. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
External links
- Media related to Equestrian statue of Charles I, Charing Cross at Wikimedia Commons