Top 10 Interesting Facts About Bronze Horseman

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Bronze Horseman

Bronze Horseman is likely to be the most famous monument in St. Petersburg. It is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. The fans of Peter the Great say that the monument signified the glory and greatness of the Russian empire and that the Roman Empire would continue to prosper until the Horseman went away from the pedestal.

The monument was put right at the centre of the mystical Petersburg text in Russian literature. It got its name from Aleksandr Pushkin. Therefore, this article will explore ten interesting facts that will provide the reader with immense knowledge about the monument that will be critical when one is visiting the attraction site.

1. It was a tribute from Catherine the Great

The statute of Peter the Great by W. Bulach-Wikimedia

The monument to Peter the Great was unveiled in August 1782 on Senate Square in St. Petersburg. The monument has inscriptions in Russian on one side and Latin on the other. When translated to English, the writings say ‘to Peter the first from Catherine the second year 1782.

The idea of erecting a monument to honour the first Russian Emperor was thought of by Catherine the Great. She was a German Princess who was the wife of Peter the third and the grandson of Peter the Great. The princess seized power by overthrowing her husband and thus became the empress of all of Russia. She expanded the empire by conquering many territories and making them part of Russia. The princess considered herself a fully-fledged successor of Peter the Great.

2. It was made by a French Sculptor

Etienne Falconet who was a famous French sculptor was commissioned to make the statue. The artist was recommended to Catherine the Great by the philosopher Denis Diderot who was her friend.  To sketch the equestrian statue, the sculptor asked the guards to mount the horse on its hind legs for many hours so that he could get the exact image of what he wanted.

This was how he made the drawings that he used to make a sculptor. This is interesting in that it seems that it was a lot of work for the guards as they had to put the horse in a particular position so that the artist could get the results that he wanted. Furthermore, the sculptor was given the entire building of the temporary wooden palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna which was at his disposal the whole time that he was working on the monument

3. The monument is not what many expected

The sculptor of Peter the Great was expected to be very different in that many people thought that the monument would be a complex and pompous statue with many allegorical figures that would portray the emperor the way many citizens thought of him. However, the sculptor decided otherwise and made the statue simple by limiting himself to a figure where Peter was dressed in simple clothes. Instead of a saddle, the horse has bear skin.

 The sculptor refused the idea of presenting the Emperor as a conqueror and a warlord as he believed that the personality of the creator, the legislator and the benefactor of Russia was what should be shown to the people. According to him, the emperor’s hands stretched all over the country that he was building and the laurel wreath on top of his head shows his military triumphs.

4. The head of the emperor was done by a female sculptor

A close-up picture of the emperor’s face by Usynin-Wikimedia

Etienne Falconet did not create the Emperor’s head of composition. Catherine the Great was actively involved in the preparations of the statue and she shot down all the three sketches that the sculptor made on Peter the Great.

However, the Empress approved a design made by the sculptor’s apprentice known as Marie-Anne Collot. The posthumous mask of the emperor served as a model and the plaster copy of the prototype is kept in the State Russian Museum which is located in St. Petersburg.

5. The pedestal is a Monolithic granite

A picture of the Monolithic granite that the horse is built on by Manfred- Schröter, Berga-Wikimedia

Finding a stone that would serve as a pedestal was a particularly hard task. A newspaper known as St. Petersburg even published a call for action so that people could help look for a stone that would be ideal for the job. Fortunately, a local peasant found one outside St. Petersburg.

Transporting the stone was also another huge task and it took half a year for the stone to be brought. Special piers and a ship were built so that they could be used to ferry it

6. It took more than ten years to complete the monument

Falcone finished the plaster model a year after he had started working on the project and he presented it to the public in 1769 but he was unable to cast it. Therefore, his assistant came from France but he also failed to complete the project.

In 1775, the first casting was made but all the pieces were not completed. It took another three years for the work on the sculptor to be done. However, in 1778 the sculptor left the country with his sketches because of a conflict with Catherine the Great’s personal secretary as she was supervising the project. This caused a delay in the installation of the monument and it was only completed in 1782.

7. Origin of the name the Bronze Horseman

The statue of Peter the Great was cast in Bronze and the name Bronze Horseman is attributed to Alexander Pushkin who used that name in a poem he wrote in 1833. The poem explains how St. Petersburg had devastating floods that killed their beloved hero. Unable to hold his grief, Eugine goes mad when he passes the bronze idol on its horse. From then, the Russians started calling the monument the bronze monument.

8. Legend says that the monument saved St. Petersburg

The statute of Peter the Great by Godot13-Wikimedia

Many myths and legends arose around the Bronze Horseman. One probably served as the foundation of Pushkin’s work. In 1812, there was a war between Napoleonic France and Russia and as the Russian troops were retreating, there was a threat that the French would occupy St Petersburg. The emperor at that time ordered the evacuation of art in the city including the monument of Peter the Great.

According to legend, Major Baturin who was a friend of the tsar told him about the obsessive dream he had where he saw Peter on horseback riding to Alexander’s palace and told him that as long as he was in the city there was nothing to fear. The monuments were not evacuated and they were not taken by the French.

9. It is an iconic art image

The monument of Peter the Great has inspired many artists as it gives an emotional and dynamic image of both the city and the emperor. Furthermore, Lenfilm which is the city’s official studio uses the bronze horseman as its registered trademark.

The image of the horseman is usually found in postcards and commemorative coins and therefore tourists who visit the city can buy souvenirs to remember the place.

10. There is a serpent on the statue

There is a serpent that the horse tramples with its hind legs on the statue. This serpent plays an important role in that it signifies the hostile forces that were defeated by Peter the Great. The serpent was made by a Russian sculptor known as Fyodor Gordeev. Furthermore, the serpent acts as a support for the statue in that the big equestrian horse could not stand on only two hind legs.