The Bronze Horseman Totally Explained

Everything about The Bronze Horseman totally explained

The Bronze Horseman (Russian: Медный всадник, literally "The Copper Horseman") is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great by Étienne Maurice Falconet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is also the name of a narrative poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin about the statue in 1833, widely considered to be one of the most significant works of Russian literature. The statue came to be known as the Bronze Horseman because of the great influence of the poem. The statue is now one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg, in much the same way that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of New York City.
The statue's pedestal is the enormous Thunder Stone, sometimes claimed to be the largest stone ever moved by man.

Statue

The equestrian statue of Peter the Great is situated in the Decembrists Square (formerly the Senate Square), in Saint Petersburg. Catherine the Great, a German princess who married into the Romanov line, was anxious to connect herself to Peter the Great to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the people. She ordered its construction, and had it inscribed with the phrase Petro Primo Catharina Secunda MDCCLXXXII in Latin and Петру первому Екатерина вторая, лето 1782 in Russian, both meaning 'Catherine the Second to Peter the First, 1782', an expression of Catherine's attitude toward her predecessor and her view of her own place in the line of great Russian rulers. Catherine, who, having gained her position through a palace coup, had no legal claim to the throne, was anxious to appear as Peter's rightful heir.
   In his correspondence with Catherine the Great, Denis Diderot suggested French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet, a friend of his. The empress followed his advice, and Falconet arrived in Russia in 1766. After having to be remelted and recast, the statue was later finished. It took 12 years, from 1770 to 1782, to create the statue, including pedestal, horse and rider.
   The tsar's face is the work of the young Marie-Anne Collot, then only 18 years old. She had accompanied Falconet as an apprentice on his trip to Russia in 1766. A student of Falconet and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Diderot referred to her as "Mademoiselle Victoire" (Miss Victory). She modelled Peter the Great's face after his death mask and numerous portraits she found in Saint Petersburg.
   On August 9, 1782, fourteen years after excavation of the pedestal began, the finished statue was unveiled in a ceremony with thousands in attendance. Conspicuously absent was Falconet, as a misunderstanding between him and the empress turned into a larger conflict, and he was forced to leave Russia four years before the project was competed. Catherine largely forgot about him afterwards, and began to see the Bronze Horseman as her own oeuvre. The statue itself is about 6 m (20 feet) tall, while the pedestal is another 7 m (25 feet) tall, for a total of approximately 13 m (45 feet).

The Thunder Stone

For the pedestal, an enormous boulder known as the Thunder Stone (Russian, Камень-Гром) was found at Lakhta, 6 km (4 miles) inland from the Gulf of Finland in 1768. The Thunder stone gained its name from a local legend that thunder split a piece of it. Falconet wanted to work on it in its original location, but Catherine ordered it be moved before being cut Once a method to move it was devised, it took 400 men 9 months to move the stone, during which time master stonecutters continuously shaped the enormous granite monolith.

The largest stone ever moved by man?

It is sometimes claimed that the Thunder Stone is the "largest stone ever moved by man." This stone wasn't only tremendously large, but was also effectively moved 6 km (4 miles) overland to the Gulf of Finland by manpower alone; no animals or machines were used. It was then transported by boat up the Neva, and subsequently to its current site. Due to the large size of the rock, the easiest way to measure its mass is to calculate it. Its dimensions before being cut, according to the fall 1882 edition of La Nature were 7 x 14 x 9 m. Based on the density of granite, its mass was determined to be around 1500 tonnes. Falconet had some of this cut away to change the rock to its current wave-like shape, leaving the finished, stylized pedestal weighing slightly less. This still leaves it the largest when compared to other large, sculpted stones:

The unfinished obelisk in Aswan is estimated at 1200 tonnes. It was not, however, ever moved, and was never even detached from the rock from which it was supposed to be carved. 1200 tonnes is still smaller than the initial mass of the Thunder Stone.
The Stone of the South (Hadjar el Gouble) in Baalbek is measured at 21.5 m x 4.8 x 4.2 m, putting its mass somewhere between 900 and 1100 tonnes. Unlike the unfinished obelisk, it was taken out of its quarry, but still sits on an angle not far from the site of its extraction. Once again, this is smaller than the initial mass of the Thunder Stone.
The Western Stone is estimated at 517 tonnes and was moved as a single piece and was used as a foundation stone in the northern corner of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. This was an impressive feat given that the wall was constructed around 20 BC.
The Great Broken Menhir of Locmariaquer, now in five pieces, was 20 m tall and likely weighed over 300 tonnes.
The obelisk at the Basilica of St John Lateran was broken into three pieces, then erected at its present site in Rome by Pope Sixtus V. At 32 m tall, it probably weighs over 350 tonnes.
The Great Stele at Axum is estimated to have weighed over 500 tonnes; it was moved from its quarry, but is believed to have broken on erection.

Siege of Leningrad

There is a 19th century legend that states that while the Bronze Horseman stands in the middle of Saint Petersburg, enemy forces will never be able to take the city. During the 900-day Siege of Leningrad during the Second World War (Leningrad being the city's name from 1924–1991), the statue wasn't taken down, but covered with sandbags and a wooden shelter. The protection served so well, that the Bronze Horseman survived the 900 days of bombing and artillery virtually untouched. True to legend, Saint Petersburg was never taken.

Poem

The Bronze Horseman is the also the title of a poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin in 1833, widely considered to be one of the most significant works of Russian literature. The statue came to be known as the Bronze Horseman due to the popularity of the poem. A major theme of the poem is conflict between the needs of the state and the needs of the ordinary citizens.
In the poem, Pushkin describes the fate of the poor young Yevgeny and his loved ones during a flood in which the Neva overflowed its banks. Yevgeny curses the statue, furious at Peter the Great for founding a city in such an unsafe location and putting his family through hardships. The statue then comes alive and chases him through the city. Yevgeny thereafter treats the statue with reverence and respect.

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