The monument to the Marquis of Larios is an urban sculpture set dedicated to Manuel Domingo Larios y Larios , II Marquis of Larios , in the Spanish city of Malaga . The public sculpture made by Mariano Benlliure, the most relevant in the city, is located at the intersection between Alameda Principal and Calle Larios , an emblematic place in the city.
History
On August 16, 1895, the Malaga City Council and its mayor, Ramón María Pérez de Torres, took account of the initiative launched by the journalist Nicolás Muñoz Cerissola, newspaper directors and different councilors, proposing the realization of the statue in homage to the second Marquis de Larios, constituting the commission in charge of analyzing the procedures and raising the funds through public subscription, which would decide between the proposals made by the sculptors Antonio Susillo , Agustín Querol , and the one that would finally be carried out, the sculptural project of the Valencian Mariano Benlliure .
On March 24, 1896, the pertinent deed of obligation was signed by mutual agreement between both contracting parties with the following points:
The materials used in said work will be marble and bronze as indicated in the sketch… Four payment terms are established as follows: The first, fifteen thousand pesetas when signing this contract. The second installment of fifteen thousand pesetas by having the Statues of the II Marquis de Larios and the group of the woman and the Child that represents “Charity” modeled in clay. The third of twenty thousand pesetas, since the statues of Mr. Marques de Larios have already been cast and the four figures, festoons, shields and the statue of “Work” have been modeled. The fourth and final term will be 25,000 pesetas, delivered during the fifteen days after the monument was inaugurated. Mr. Benlliure undertakes to fulfill all the obligations expressed in this contract …
A.M.M.,Leg.1963, Exp.57
On January 1, 1899, the inauguration of the monument took place at two in the afternoon, coinciding with the delivery to the Provincial Council of the building attached to the Provincial Hospital built by philanthropic donation from the Larios family to the city.
On April 14, 1931, with the proclamation of the Second Republic , uncontrolled mobs demolished the sculpture of the Marquis de Larios, which was dragged through the streets of the city and finally thrown into the sea in the port . During the first hours of the day a Republican flag was raised, and later the statue of the Allegory of Work was placed , which was in the lower rear part of the monument, occupying the place of that of the businessman until the 1940s.
After the Spanish Civil War , the statue of the Marqués de Larios was recovered from the dock of the port where it had been dumped and relocated to its original situation, and in 1951 the monument was restored, recovering its original splendor, a state in which it remains in the actuality. However, today some of the original parts that completed this public altar are missing , such as the flowery garlands, the Malaga coat of arms, and the four female figures in the corners. One of these is currently kept in the Municipal Heritage Museum .
Transfer and restoration
The monument to the Marquis de Larios was moved a few meters to Calle Larios according to the project for the semi-pedestrianization of the Alameda Principal, which served to leave the central lane to road traffic, eliminating the roundabout, while the sides were pedestrianized. The monument is now located on the north side, just a few meters away from where it was previously and presiding over the entrance to Calle Larios.
Likewise, the monument was restored taking advantage of the transfer. For this purpose, the statue of the Allegory of Work was first removed on September 6, 2018, while the statue of the marquis was removed on October 2 and the pedestal was restored on the same street . The entire complex was returned to the Alameda Principal on May 8, 2019 in its new location.
Formal analysis of the monument
It is a monument that forms a pyramid of glory at the top of which we find the sculptural figure of the honoree Manuel Domingo Larios y Larios. In front of it and on a lower floor, the representation of La Caridad appears , embodied in the figures of La Madre and El Niño offerentes, and behind it is the Allegory of Work .
All this set on a cruciform plinth that ascends to the pedestal that sprouts from the center of the plant. This architectural ensemble of the basement turns the monument into a public altar due to the subordination of the secondary figures to the main character, forming a staggered composition.
When analyzing the statue of the Marquis de Larios himself, the elegance of the pose, grave and relaxed at the same time, is accentuated by the freshness with which he holds the cane and the top hat in his right hand, and in his left hand that takes it to the pocket of the vest; as if the aristocrat simulated a quiet walk, breaking with hieraticism and giving a sense of movement.
Regarding the secondary figures, the allegories of La Caridad and del Trabajo make a classicist imposition marked by the realistic mark. The Mother lifts the Child to the pedestal, whose feminine shapes accentuate the fabrics that cascade down from the waist and serve as a carpet where the same figure rests its feet. In contrast to the feminine sweetness of Charity, the allegory of Work embodies virile strength. Along the lines of Auguste Rodin , a young man with an athletic complexion appears in a marching attitude, with a pick and hoe on his right shoulder and crowned with vine leaves alluding to the fruits of the earth. The bullfighter Luis Mazzantini posed as a model for the figure of the young man .
Regarding the materials, Benlliure gave him a peculiar sense of decorum, he reserved bronze for the male figures and the white marble of Italian origin for the female figure and the child, or the so-called geniuses, which are four small allegories located in the corners of the plinth and supporting garlands of ivy leaves with the coat of arms of Malaga and the noble coat of arms of Los Larios.
On the plinth on which the figure of the Marquis de Larios is located there are some epigraphic references:
- On the front face of the pedestal:
To Don Manuel
Larios
II Marqués de Larios
Málaga,
grateful
- On the right side:
Born in Malaga
on December XV
MDCCCXXXVI
- On the left side:
Died on
July XXXI
MDCCCXCV
- At the back of the pedestal:
Inauguration
I January MDCCCXCIX
RestorationMay 1951
Article source: https://second.wiki/wiki/monumento_al_marquc3a9s_de_larios