The equestrian statue of Pedro I is located in Tiradentes Square, in the city center of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, in the homonymous state, Brazil. It is a national historical heritage, listed by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), since 4 March 1999. It is also a Rio de Janeiro state cultural heritage, registered by the ''Instituto Estadual do Patrimônio Cultural'' (INEPAC), since 26 September 1978.

History

A monument in honor of emperor

Pedro I of Brazil Don (honorific), Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), nicknamed "the Liberator", was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he List of ...

was idealized by the Senate since 1824, but due to the emperor's abdication in 1831 the project was abandoned. In 1854, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of Brazil's Independence, the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro, by proposal of , decided to erect the statue. The proposal was also approved by emperor Pedro II. A contest was then held in 1855 by the

Imperial Academy of Fine Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...

to choose the project. The winning project was that of artist , at the time director of the Academy. , winner of the third place, was chosen to execute and cast the bronze sculptures in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The place chosen for the monument was the Constituição Square (today Tiradentes Square), the same place where Pedro I swore the 1824 Constitution (in the São João Theatre) and also where

Tiradentes Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (; 12 November 1746 – 21 April 1792), known as Tiradentes (), was a leading member of the colonial Brazilian revolutionary movement known as Inconfidência Mineira, whose aim was full independence from P ...

was hanged on 21 April 1792. The inauguration, first set to take place on 25 March 1862, the day in which emperor Pedro I issued the 1824 Brazilian Constitution, was postponed to 30 March due to heavy rains.

Description

As a whole, it presents emperor Pedro I on a horse, waving the 1824 Constitutional Charter in his right hand, the Brazilian provinces at the time, as well as the four great rivers of Brazil —

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, São Francisco and Paraná. The allegories feature indigenous people and various species of animals — tapirs,

armadillos Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along w ...

anteaters Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with ...

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

s — as well as golden

wyverns A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Un ...

and various other decorative motifs. On the main side, below the statue, it has the inscription "to D. Pedro I, gratitude of the Brazilian people". The base, 3.30 meters high, is made of Carioca granite; the pedestal, 6.40 meters high, is made of bronze and the statue, also made of bronze, is 6.00 meters high.

Gallery

File:Monumento em homenagem a D. Pedro I, estátua equestre - 2.jpg, Pictured by Marc Ferrez, unknown date File:Monumento em homenagem a D. Pedro I, estátua equestre - 1.jpg, Picture by Marc Ferrez File:Mon a pedro i do brasil alegorias.jpg, Allegories, Amazon River on the right File:Mon a pedro i do brasil alegoria rio s francisco.jpg, São Francisco River File:Salon de 1861 Pierre Ambroise Richebourg.jpg, The statue in the 1861 Salon in Paris

References

{{Reflist Equestrian statues in Brazil Monuments and memorials in Rio de Janeiro (city)