Equestrian statue of Augustus (Mérida)

The equestrian statue of Augustus is an instance of public art in Mérida, Spain. The sculpture—a bronze rendition of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, riding a horse—is located in a roundabout at the intersection of the Avenida de Portugal and the Avenida Reina Sofía.

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Coordinates38.904871°N 6.364105°W / 38.904871; -6.364105
LocationMérida, Spain
DesignerEduardo Zancada Pérez
MaterialBronze, granite
Height3.75 m (statue)
Weight2.5 tonnes (statue)
Opening date25 April 2007
Dedicated toAugustus

History and description

The sculpture was initially intended to be erected on the roundabout of Tres Fuentes,[1] yet plans changed along the way. With a budget of 112,780 € in disposal, the municipal managing board awarded the project in September 2005 to Eduardo Zancada Pérez, the only artist who had entered the public competition,[1] and himself a son of the mayor of Mérida between 1952 and 1954, Eduardo Zancada Alarcón.[2] There is another sculpture of Augustus in a city's roundabout, near the Lusitania Bridge.[3]

Cast in bronze in Madrid at Codina's foundry,[4] the sculpture weighs 2.5 tonnes.[5] The 3.75 metre high sculpture,[6] features the Roman emperor riding a horse without stirrups, wearing a muscle cuirass, and brandishing a staff while keeping the sword in the belt.[7] It lies on top of a granite plinth.[8]

Shortly before the 2007 municipal elections, the sculpture was inaugurated in April 2007 along the whole reform of the traffic circle, with an inner radius of 7.50 m and an outer radius of 17.50 m,[9][5] at about the same time that another equestrian statue also by Zancada featuring Augustus' son-in-law Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.[9]

References
Citations
  1. "El consistorio encarga a Zancada la estatua del emperador Octavio". El Periódico Extremadura. 14 September 2005.
  2. Pinero, Félix (28 January 2019). "Eduardo Zancada Pérez, el escultor de Augusto, Agripa y Carlos III". Mérida y Comarca.
  3. Vinagre, C.J (1 February 2007). "La estatua ecuestre de Augusto coronará la glorieta de Cepansa". Hoy.
  4. Bazán de Huerta 2016, p. 172.
  5. Peguero, César (26 April 2007). "La avenida Reina Sofía estará acabada en mayo". El Periódico Extremadura.
  6. Vinagre, C.J (12 February 2007). "Zancada ultima para la ciudad una estatua ecuestre de Agripa". Hoy.
  7. Bazán de Huerta 2016, p. 174.
  8. Bazán de Huerta 2016, pp. 172–173.
  9. Bazán de Huerta 2016, p. 173.
Bibliography
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