Model for May 2nd 1808 Monument
What clues can we find in an artwork that attribute it to a certain artist?
This artwork commemorates the events of May 2nd 1808, the popular rebellion against the French occupying troops in Madrid. The Spanish War, or Independence and Peninsular War, was one of the most traumatic and catalyzing events in modern Spanish history.
Political authorities promoted the creation of monuments commemorating the Spanish was a way to promote patriotism. These monuments that honored the dead served as examples of heroic behavior. Commemorative monuments created a national conscience based on history.
Model for a Monument Commemorating 2 May, 1808 (ca. 1891) by Aniceto Marinas García (attrib.)Museo de Arte de Ponce
The inclusion of the bodies of deceased compatriots emphasized the sacrifice the soldiers made for their motherland.
The inscription that reads recuerdo or remember guides the viewer to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers.
The broken wheel and canon might also allude to the massive destruction caused by the war.
The sculpture in the MAP collection is neither signed nor dated. However, it resembles Aniceto Marinas’ sculpture Monument to May 2nd, 1808 located at the Jardin del General Fanjui in Madrid.
The two sculptures have similar compositions. The angels face and the position of the reclining man next to the canon are mostly the same in the both artworks.
Model for a Monument Commemorating 2 May, 1808 (ca. 1891) by Aniceto Marinas García (attrib.)Museo de Arte de Ponce
The figure of the angel in both artworks marks the symbol of Spain's catholic faith and hope for a peaceful future.
At one point in time Marinas thought of elevating the Madrid monument by setting it on top an octagonal pedestal. The platform was to be decorated with relief sculptures. The MAP’s clay model might be related to this discarded project.
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