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 Interactive map of Wellington Monument | |
| Location | London |
|---|---|
| Type | Sculpture |
| Dedicated date | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington |
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TheWellington Monument is a statue representingAchilles erected as a memorial toArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and his victories in thePeninsular War and the latter stages of theNapoleonic Wars. It is sited at the south-western end ofPark Lane in London, and was inaugurated on 18 June 1822. Its total height, including the sculpture, base and the mound on which it stands, is 36 ft.[1]
The monument's colossal 18 feet (5.5 m) high statue is by the sculptorRichard Westmacott, produced from melted-down captured enemy cannon. Based on the poses of theBorghese Gladiator and more particularly the QuirinalHorse Tamers, it shows the Greek mythological hero as a muscular, nude young man, raising his shield with his left hand and his short sword in his right hand, with his armour standing by his right thigh and his cloak draped over his left shoulder. The monument was funded by donations from British women totalling £10,000. On being transported to its final site, the entrance gates intoHyde Park were too low for it to fit, so it proved necessary to knock a hole in the adjoining wall. The inscription on the statue's Dartmoor granite base reads:
This was London's first public nude sculpture since antiquity and, though the artist had already included a fig leaf over the figure's genitalia, much controversy still resulted, pitching the sculptor's supporters such asBenjamin Robert Haydon against fierce critics such asGeorge Cruikshank in hisBackside & front view of the ladies fancy-man, Paddy Carey O'Killus'.[2]
The controversy may also have been linked toCanova'sNapoleon as Mars the Peacemaker that had arrived just before this atApsley House, and also treated on whether Achilles was a metaphor for military heroism in general, Wellington in particular or both.
51°30′16″N0°09′10″W / 51.5045°N 0.1527°W /51.5045; -0.1527
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