Okay, this is The Big Guy, Saint Louis, King Louis IX of France. It stands opposite the entrance to the St. Louis Art Museum (which we'll get to one day. It's wonderful motto, inscribed over the entryway, is Dedicated To Art And Free To All. And it is.). The title of this post is the actual name of the statue. This apotheosis business may seem a bit overblown but, after all, he made saint.Check out the picture of the museum by clicking the link to its home page. That's a big, long hill in front, foreshortened by a telephoto lens. When it snowed, students from St. Louis University and nearby Washington University would steal trays from the cafeteria to use as sleds on Art Hill under the saint/king's gaze. Control of your tray was a concern. The lagoon at the bottom may or may not have been frozen.
TOMORROW: FIller
When I first saw this on the portal, I thought, "Oh, this looks so European to me." Of course! Your explanation helps understand this magnificent statue. Nice job!
ReplyDeletewow, it's a huge statue!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to the wikipedia entry on Louie. I don't think I would have investigated otherwise. There's so much I didn't know! This is one of the more interesting tidbits: "During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis August 25, 1270 from what was traditionally believed to be plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The local tradition of Sidi Bou Said claims that the future Saint Louis did not die in 1270, but converted to Islam under the name of Sidi Bou Said, died at the end of the 13th century, and was buried as a saint of Islam in Djebel-Marsa."
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