Queen Victoria
Baron Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867)
Unveiled 1854 (re-erected, 1866)
Bronze on a red and grey granite pedestal with bronze reliefs
George Square, Glasgow
This monument commemorates the Queen's visit to Glasgow in 1849; episodes from the visit are depicted in the reliefs on the sides of the pedestal. It was Britain's first equestrian statue of a woman, and drew enormous crowds for its inauguration, an event widely reported in the papers. It had provoked much discussion about balance (since the Queen had to be shown sitting side-saddle) and proportion (in case her feminine figure should be dwarfed” by her steed). [Continued below]
Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee
