The monument to Primo de Rivera is an instance of public art in
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...
, Spain. It consists of a bronze equestrian statue of
Miguel Primo de Rivera, on top of a sculptural ensemble placed inside a fountain. It lies at the centre of the .
History and description
The monument was proposed in December 1923 by municipal councillor Antonio Montilla Rivero after the , and the proposal was unanimously accepted.
The managing committee of the monument was appointed in 1925.
The monument was funded via popular subscription.
The design of the monument was awarded to
Mariano Benlliure.
Building works started on 2 October 1928.
Benlliure reportedly used a horse from the regiment of Hussars of La Princesa as model for the equine figure.
The front side of the pedestal features a
coat of arms of Spain
The coat of arms of Spain represents Spain and the Spanish nation, including its national sovereignty and the country's form of government, a constitutional monarchy. It appears on the flag of Spain and it is used by the Government of Spain, the ...
and an inscription reading: ("to the illustrious ''jerezano'', restorer of order, Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, Peacemaker of Morocco and Marquis of Estella. The grateful homeland").
A winged ''Victory'' emerges ahead of the front side of the pedestal, grabbing a laurel branch with her right hand and a
Pickelhaube
The ( pl. ; from german: Pickel, lit=point' or 'pickaxe, and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German military officers, firefighters and police. Althoug ...
general's helmet with her left arm.
Both lateral sides of the pedestal feature sculptural compositions.
The right-hand one, with the inscription ("studying the ultimate breakthrough plan"), consists of a meeting of generals around Primo de Rivera, also attended by
Sanjurjo,
Despujols,
Fernández Pérez,
Saro and Admiral
Guerra
Guerra is a Portuguese, Spanish and Italian term meaning "war". Notable people with the surname Guerra include:
People Arts
* Aaron Guerra, American guitarist
* Adam Daniel Guerra, American drag queen also known as Venus D-Lite
* Ana Clara Guer ...
.
The left-hand side of the pedestal features an sculptural ensemble with five
moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinc ...
working the land with two
oxen, reading ("the point of victory").
The backside of the monument incorporates an allegory of ''Peace'' or ''Plentifulness'', holding cereal spikes, with two
cornucopia
In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...
s at her feet, as well as a bronze relief consisting of an effigy of Miguel's brother
Fernando—fallen in
Monte Arruit in 1921—put inside a medallion bordered by laurel wreaths, with an inscription below reading ("honoring its heroes").
It was unveiled on 29 September 1929, during a ceremony attended by the dictator himself.
References
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Buildings and structures in Jerez de la Frontera
Fountains in Spain
Statues of heads of government
Sculptures by Mariano Benlliure
Sculptures of men in Spain
Outdoor sculptures in Andalusia
Bronze sculptures in Spain
Monuments and memorials in Andalusia
Equestrian statues in Spain
Statues of military officers