Monument to Quevedo (Madrid)

A work by Agustín Querol, it was unveiled at its original location in the Plaza de Alonso Martínez [es] on 5 June 1902 (the ceremony had been delayed several times by bad weather)^[1] as part of a series of inaugurations of outdoor sculptures in Madrid on the occasion of the celebrations for the coming of age of King Alfonso XIII,^[1] featuring several notable figures such as—aside from Quevedo—Agustín Argüelles, Lope de Vega, Juan Bravo Murillo, Eloy Gonzalo [es] and Goya.^[2][3]

The standing Carrara marble statue representing Quevedo is featured on the top of the monument.^[4][5] He is wearing his staple Pince-nez (called quevedos in Spanish after him) and the cross of Saint James on his chest.^[4] Four allegorical sculptures representing Satyre, Poetry, Prose and History embrace the limestone plinth.^[6]

The Novelda limestone from the pedestal eroded by the 1960s and the pedestal was replaced by a replica of (less porous) stone from Atarce sculpted by Fernando Cruz Solís [es].^[4] The monument was moved to its current location in the Glorieta de Quevedo [es] in the 1960s.^[7]

A fountain made of granite from Badajoz was installed on the base of the monument in 1999.^[4]

"A don Francisco de Quevedo, en piedra"—a poem authored by José Ángel Valente part of Poemas a Lázaro—is dedicated to the statue.^[8]

Citations

Bibliography

• Alonso Pereira, José Ramón (1987). "Agustín Querol y el monumento conmemorativo del novecientos" (PDF). Boletín Académico. Escola Técnica Superior de Arquitectura da Coruña (7): 41–50. ISSN 0213-3474.
• Calvo Rodríguez, José Andrés (2011). "A don Francisco de Quevedo, en piedra. Noción de ciudad y Quevedo como emblema madrileño en la lírica de José Ángel Valente" (PDF). Anales del Instituto de Estudios Madrileños. LI. Madrid: Instituto de Estudios Madrileños: 417–434.
• Fraguas, Rafael (3 November 1999). "Quevedo, a remojo". El País.
• Salvador Prieto, María del Socorro (1989). "Monumentos escultóricos erigidos en Madrid para celebrar la coronación de Alfonso XIII". Anales de Historia del Arte (1). Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid: 305–316. ISSN 0214-6452.