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 Interactive map ofVelázquez | |
| Location | Paseo del Prado,Madrid, Spain |
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| Coordinates | 40°24′49″N3°41′34″W / 40.413736°N 3.692689°W /40.413736; -3.692689 |
| Designer | Aniceto Marinas (statue) Vicente Lampérez [es] (pedestal) |
| Material | Bronze,stone |
| Height | 3.5 m |
| Opening date | 14 June 1899 |
| Dedicated to | Diego de Velázquez |
Velázquez or theStatue of Velázquez is an instance of public art inMadrid, Spain. Located in front of the main gate of thePrado Museum, it is dedicated toDiego de Velázquez.
The statue was an idea of theCírculo de Bellas Artes.[1]The statue was cast at Masriera & Campins' foundry inBarcelona,[1] using bronze gifted by the Spanish State.[2] Modelled byAniceto Marinas, the statue features a seated Velázquez, with his palette and brush at rest.[3] The Velázquez's hand gesture imitates that of the painter's self-portrait inLas Meninas.[4]
A work byVicente Lampérez [es] and funded by the Society of Architects,[1] the pedestal, standing 1.90 metre high, is a cube made of white stone fromMonóvar.[2] On its front side, it features the name of "Velázquez" surmounted by a star.[2] The left and right sides of the plinth are carved with the '1599' and '1660' dates, respectively.[2] Meanwhile, the back side of the cube reads "Los artistas españoles por iniciativa del Círculo de Bellas Artes — 1899" ("the Spanish artists under the initiative of the Circle of Fine Arts — 1899").[2]
The monument was unveiled on 14 June 1899,[5] as part of the festivities for the 300th anniversary of the birth of the painter. The ceremony of inauguration was attended by the royal family (including the Queen RegentMaria Christina and the KingAlfonso XIII),[1] the ministers of Public Works and the Navy,Santiago de Liniers [es],Francisco Romero Robledo,Repullés y Vargas,Benlliure andRuiz Guerrero.[6] Some of the speakers during the ceremony included French paintersCarolus-Duran andJean-Paul Laurens, andEdward Poynter, president of the BritishRoyal Academy.[6]