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Equestrian statue of Leopold II, Brussels

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Coordinates: 50°50′26″N 4°21′52″E / 50.84056°N 4.36444°E / 50.84056; 4.36444
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Equestrian statue of Leopold II
  • Statue équestre de Léopold II (French)
  • Ruiterstandbeeld van Leopold II (Dutch)
Statue of King Leopold II
Map
50°50′26″N 4°21′52″E / 50.84056°N 4.36444°E / 50.84056; 4.36444
LocationPlace du Trône / Troonplein
1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
DesignerThomas Vinçotte, François Malfait [fr]
TypeEquestrian statue
Completion date1926 (1926)
Dedicated toKing Leopold II

The equestrian statue of Leopold II (French: Statue équestre de Léopold II; Dutch: Ruiterstandbeeld van Leopold II) is a bronze equestrian statue erected in Brussels, Belgium, in memory of King Leopold II, second King of the Belgians. It was created by the sculptor Thomas Vinçotte in 1914,[1] but it was not finalised until 1926 by the architect François Malfait [fr], when it was inaugurated in the king's honour.[2]

The statue stands on the Place du Trône/Troonplein, to the south-east of the Royal Palace of Brussels, at the point where the Rue Ducale/Hertogsstraat joins the Boulevard du Régent/Regentlaan (Small Ring), and a few tens of metres from the Royal Stables of Brussels. It is also close to Matongé, an African (mainly Congolese) district of Ixelles. This area is served by Brussels-Central railway station, as well as by the metro stations Parc/Park (on lines 1 and 5) and Trône/Troon (on lines 2 and 6).

History

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King Leopold II died in 1909, and as for many Kings of the Belgians, the Belgian authorities took the initiative, in 1914, to erect a statue in his honour.[3] To do this, the Belgian State raised more than 625,000 Belgian francs.[a] On 31 May 1914, the Belgian official journal and the press launched an appeal for anyone wishing to contribute to erecting the statue. The appeal mentioned that during 35 years, Belgium, under Leopold II's leadership, had expanded by a magnificent colony.[4] The initiative was successful, in which even Leopold's successor, King Albert I, took part himself, along with aristocrats, the military, colonial companies, and some citizens.[3][4]

Inauguration of the equestrian statue of Leopold II on 15 November 1926

The statue's construction, however, was delayed due to the First World War and it was not until the end of the war that the work was redesigned by the sculptor Thomas Vinçotte, with the help of the architect François Malfait and the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga, which provided the raw material.[4] The bronze statue was cast by the Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles and was inaugurated on 15 November 1926, the feast day of the dynasty, but also the patronal feast of Leopold II.[5][4] This ceremony was marked by the presence of the entire Belgian royal family and the authorities who came in procession to the scene.[6]

Description

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The imposing bronze equestrian statue is placed on a pedestal made of blue stone blocks, the eastern face of which, facing the Boulevard du Régent/Regentlaan, displays in Latin the king's name, his title and the dates of his reign: "LEOPOLDO II / REGI BELGARUM / 1865-1909 / PATRIA MEMOR". The statue bears the signature of Thomas Vinçotte and the name of the Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles, while the pedestal displays the name of François Malfait, as well as the date of construction.[4]

On the back, a small bronze plaque (approximately 20 by 15 cm (7.9 by 5.9 in)) reads: Le cuivre et l'étain de cette statue proviennent du Congo Belge. Ils ont été fournis gracieusement par l'Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (The copper and tin of this statue come from the Belgian Congo. They were kindly supplied by the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga).[4]

Controversies

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Since the 21st century, the statue has aroused many controversies as to its presence in the centre of Brussels since the figure of Leopold II is no longer as admired and respected as at the time of its construction. Indeed, it is today mainly associated with Belgian colonial history and the Congo Free State, a territory over which Leopold exercised de facto sovereignty from 1885 to 1908.[7][8]

The statue has been vandalised several times with red and white paint, including by the writer and activist Théophile de Giraud in 2008.[9][10] In June 2020, a petition for its removal was signed over 45,000 times within several days.[11] A majority in the Brussels Parliament wants to either recontextualise or remove all Leopold II statues in Brussels, including this one.[12]

See also

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ This amount is roughly equivalent to €2.5 million in 2020 when taking into account inflation.

Citations

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  1. ^ Loze, Vautier & Vestre 1990, p. 275.
  2. ^ Mardaga 1994, p. 412.
  3. ^ a b Vromant 1937, p. 5.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Léopold II (FED) / Art en espace public - Ville de Bruxelles – Inventaire du patrimoine mobilier". collections.heritage.brussels (in French). Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  5. ^ Vromant 1937, p. 10.
  6. ^ Vromant 1937, p. 29.
  7. ^ Pakenham, Thomas (1992). The Scramble for Africa: the White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912 (13th ed.). London: Abacus. pp. 253–5. ISBN 978-0-349-10449-2.
  8. ^ Vanthemsche, G. (2012). Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-521-19421-1.
  9. ^ "Congo: Histoire blanche, voix noires, zones grises" (PDF). Télé-Moustique (in French). 12 November 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  10. ^ Siebe Jonckheere (22 November 2019). "De schuld in de onschuld van een straatnaam". Krant van West-Vlaanderen (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Steeds meer protest in België tegen standbeelden Leopold II". NOS (in Dutch). 5 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Brusselse meerderheid vraagt dekolonisering van openbare ruimte". Bruzz (in Dutch). 4 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.

Bibliography

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  • Loze, Pierre; Vautier, Dominique; Vestre, Marina (1990). Guide de Bruxelles XIXème et Art Nouveau (in French). Brussels: Eiffel Editions - CFC Éditions.
  • Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles (PDF) (in French). Vol. 1C: Pentagone N-Z. Liège: Pierre Mardaga. 1994.
  • Léopold II. Les monuments de Bruxelles et de Léopoldville (in French). Brussels: Vromant & Co, s.d. 1937.
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