- CountryUK
- Town:London
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Year of creation:1860
- Rider(s):Richard l
(1157-1199), a successor of William the Conqueror, known as “Lion Heart”, and as “The absent king”, as he was preoccupied with foreign wars, taking part in the Third Crusade and defending his French territories against Philip II of France.
- Sculptor(s):Marochetti, Carlo
As the creator of seven equestrian statues, Carlo Marochetti (1805–1867) was one of the most productive sculptors. He was born in Turin (Italy), brought up in Paris and studied in Rome. He remained in France until 1848, and then moved to London. Marochetti was not only a very productive artist, but also a gifted one. He created some marvellous equestrian statues.
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Simon Schama states in his History of Britain: ‘Nothing remains of Richard in England, save the Victorian statue outside the House of Lords, which gives the utterly misleading impression that he was, somehow, a quintessentially English king. But barely a year out of the nine and a half of his reign, was spent in England’.
This may be, but the equestrian statue referred to is a fine one. It shows Richard I with his sword raised in a regal gesture of leadership. During World War II, the blast from a bomb bent, but did not break, the sword. This was thought to be symbolic.
