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Equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro

The Equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro is a work by the American sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey (1879–1922). It now stands on a granite pedestal in the main square of Trujillo, the city where Pizarro was born, though this was not its original location. The statue was first shown at the 1929 Spring Painting and Sculpture exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, where Rumsey was honored with a retrospective after his recent death. Because of its large size, it was displayed in the dome hall, which had not been used to exhibit art for thirty years. Later in 1929, it was taken to Spain and inaugurated in Trujillo in the presence of Miguel Primo de Rivera, Prince Alfonso of Orleans, and the U.S. ambassador to Spain.

Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue on a stone pedestal in a sunlit square.
The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue stands on a stone pedestal in Trujillo’s historic square.
© · CC BY 3.0
Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue on a stone pedestal in a town square, with historic buildings and a tower behind it.
The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue stands in a historic square in Trujillo.
© · CC BY 3.0
Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue on a stone pedestal in a cobbled square, with a historic stone building and tower behind it.
Francisco Pizarro’s equestrian statue stands in Trujillo’s historic square, with the old stone buildings rising behind it.
August 2008 © · CC BY-SA 3.0 es
Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue on a stone pedestal in a town square beside a large stone church tower.
The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue stands in Trujillo’s Plaza Mayor beside the Church of San Martín.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue partly visible behind palm fronds, with a stone church in the background.
The Francisco Pizarro equestrian statue is partly seen behind palm fronds, set against a stone church.
April 2016 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Creator

SculptorCharles Cary Rumsey
Sculptor nationalityAmerican
Sculptor lifespan1879-1922

Materials

Pedestal materialGranite

Location and ownership

Current locationTrujillo, Spain
Pedestal locationMain square (Plaza Mayor) of Trujillo, the city where Francisco Pizarro was born

History and restoration

Original exhibitionSpring Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture at the Grand Palais, Paris
Year first exhibited1929
Exhibition contextThe 1929 Grand Palais exhibition paid extensive tribute to the recently deceased Rumsey with a retrospective of his work
Exhibition placementPlaced in the Grand Palais dome hall, which had not been used to exhibit works for thirty years because of the sculpture's colossal size
Moved to SpainIn 1929, the statue traveled to Spain to take up its current location in Trujillo
Date of inauguration in Trujillo1929
Inauguration attendeesMiguel Primo de Rivera; Prince Alfonso of Orleans; the then-United States ambassador to Spain

Iconography and meaning

Horse-rider posture interpretationA raised front leg in an equestrian statue means the person died from battle wounds
Interpretation applies to PizarroFrancisco Pizarro did not die from battle wounds