Statues - Hither & Thither

 

Description

Equestrian statue of Lord Combermere, dressed in the uniform of a field marshal.
It is described in 1865 in the Cheshire Observer:

The statue of Lord Combermere is of bronze, on a granite pedestal, the entire monument being twenty-four feet in height. The figure of the field-msrshal is larger than life size, and the gallant soldier is represented in the act of saluting, his face being inclined slightly to the right. Those who best knew the late viscount pronounce the likeness to be extraordinary, while the firm seat of the rider on his horse is no less characteristic of the famous cavalry general. In the design of the horse, which renders this statue more attractive than twenty ordinary effigies, there is plenty of life, and as usual this animated appearance is productive of considerable criticism. The animal is represented raising one of his forelegs in the style which a horse of high-action, or a charger proud of his burden, may often be seen to do; the whole idea of the horse is instinct with spirit, and the statue ranks scarcely second to the chef d'oeuvre of Marochetti, the equestrian monument of Richard Coeur de Lion in front of the Houses of Parliament at Westminster.

At the long sides of the pedestal is recounted the long list of famous engagements in which the deceased soldier bore part, commencing with the very first war against the French Republic, while Napoleon Buonaparte was still an unknown lieutenant, and ending with the last and greatest achievement of the deceased, the capture of the huge Indian fortress, which had' successfully sustained four desperate assaults by British armies.

The statue was unveiled on 25 October 1865.

Inscription(s)

Sculptor

• Baron Carlo (Charles) Marochetti (Turin 1805 - Passy 1867) Italian-French sculptor, born in Turin, but raised in Paris as a French citizen (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

• Wikipedia, Equestrian statue of Viscount Combermere.
• Cheshire Observer, 28 October 1865 (British Newspaper Archive).
• Kees van Tilburg, From Marcus Aurelius to Kim Jong-il: The story of equestrian statues throughout the ages (Amstelveen, 2017). – see also the Equestrian statue website.

Tags

• Town: Chester
• County: Cheshire
• Subdivision: North West England
• Country: Great Britain
• Army Officer
• Cotton, Stapleton
• Equestrian statue
• Marochetti, Carlo

Locatie (N 53°11'11" - W 2°53'37") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

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