Monument to Eloy Gonzalo

Eloy Gonzalo
Map
40°24′37″N 3°42′26″W / 40.41025°N 3.70728°W / 40.41025; -3.70728
LocationPlaza de Cascorro [es], Madrid, Spain
DesignerAniceto Marinas (statue)
José López Sallaberry (pedestal)
MaterialBronze, marble, limestone
Opening date5 June 1902
Dedicated toEloy Gonzalo [es], the Hero of Cascorro

The Monument to Eloy Gonzalo is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. It is a monument dedicated to Eloy Gonzalo [es], the so-called Hero of Cascorro. Erected on the plaza de Cascorro [es], it consists of a bronze statue of the aforementioned Cuban War hero authored by Aniceto Marinas, put on a stone plinth.

History and description

It is a monument dedicated to Eloy Gonzalo [es] a Spanish soldier in the Cuban War independence who, in September 1896—during a siege by a party of about 2,500 Cuban mambises equipped with 70 mm battalion guns on a small regiment of Spanish soldiers garrisoned in the small village of Cascorro [es]—[1] reportedly volunteered to his superiors in a nearly suicidal mission to infiltrate the enemy lines and fire the hut used as a warehouse for the weaponry of the enemy.[2] Reportedly equipped with a 10-liter gasoline can, a Mauser rifle, a torch and a rope (to tie himself allowing for the retrieval of his corpse in case he fell in action, as he was certain of)[2] he succeeded against all odds, helping to demoralize the enemy until the lift of the siege by General Adolfo Jiménez Castellanos,[3] only to die of dysentery in Matanzas in June 1897.[4]

The bronze statue designed by Aniceto Marinas (cast in Barcelona at Masriera y Campins' foundry)[5] represents a 2.30 metre[5] full-body Eloy Gonzalo wearing the rayadillo uniform characteristic of the Spanish soldiers during the conflict,[6] strapped at chest height by a rope, wielding a flaming torch with his right hand while he holds the oil can with his left arm, also carrying a rifle and a machete.[7] The plinth, made of marble and white stone, was designed by José López Sallaberry.[6][7]

The opposing sides of the pedestal feature two inscriptions reading "el ayuntamiento de madrid a eloy gonzalo, 1901" (the Ayuntamiento de Madrid to Eloy Gonzalo, 1901") and cascorro 1897, respectively.[6]

It was unveiled at its original location at the Plaza de Cascorro—mentioned at the time as Plaza del Rastro—on 5 June 1902,[8] matching it with the inauguration of a number of outdoor sculptures in Madrid on the occasion of the celebrations for the coming of age of King Alfonso XIII (delayed several times by bad weather),[8] featuring notable figures such as Bravo Murillo, Agustín Argüelles, Lope de Vega, Francisco de Quevedo, and Goya.[6][9]

References

Citations
  1. ^ Pando Despierto 1998, p. 50.
  2. ^ a b Pando Despierto 1998, p. 51.
  3. ^ Pando Despierto 1998, p. 52.
  4. ^ Pando Despierto 1998, p. 54.
  5. ^ a b Portela Sandoval 1997, p. 137.
  6. ^ a b c d "Descubrimiento de estatuas". El Imparcial. XXXVI (12630). Madrid. 6 June 1902. ISSN 2171-0244.
  7. ^ a b Salvador Prieto 1989, p. 311.
  8. ^ a b "Inauguración de estatuas". La Época. LIII (18670). Madrid: 3. 5 June 1905. ISSN 2254-559X.
  9. ^ "Inauguración de estatuas". La Época. LIII (18.671). Madrid. 6 June 1902. ISSN 2254-559X.
Bibliography