Memorial Statues

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No Longer Only For The Rich
 

Memorial statues are in abundance across the United States in graveyards, college campuses, parks, building courtyards, and plenty of other public spaces. Once the realm of only the rich and famous, memorial statues now are so affordably priced that just about any gravesite can be home to one that celebrates the personality and life of the deceased.

Given that memorial statues are so prevalent, appearing in high traffic areas of just about every city in the country, it only seems to follow that the lore and legend of memorial statues would be quite colorful and interesting. Below are some examples of a few tidbits that you may have heard about the memorial statues in the United States.

First there is the story supposed, semi-secret code share by sculptors over the ages regarding the position of horses feet on memorial statues. Legend has it that, when the statue’s subject was once wounded in battle, his or her horse would be depicted with one foot raised; if the subject had died in battle, two feet would be raised, and, if all four of the horses feet were on the ground, that is the sculptor’s way of telling audiences that the subject had never been harmed in battle.

Well, this story has long intrigued art enthusiasts, sculpting specialists and even history buffs. And a number of these experts have put the code to the test over the years. They simply make lists of sculptures, the positions of the horse’s feet, and the subject’s history in battle, and note the code’s success. In most cases, these tests have shown that the code is accurate in less than 30 percent of sculptures, and, to date, no sculptor has made a spectacle of announcing that he or she, in fact, does adhere to the code.

So, while the jury is still out on whether this legend is true, it makes for interesting sculpture viewing.

Another popular legend is that the famous Washington D.C. statue of six U.S. soldiers raising an American flag on the Island of Iwo Jima depicts 13 hands on the flag – the odd one being, the story says, the artist’s conception of the hand of God. Well, it turns out that – even though a few inexperienced Washington tour guides have been known to claim otherwise – the statue has just 12 hands. “Why would they need 13 hands,” the sculptor has been quoted as saying. “Twelve is enough.”

And then, finally there’s the story of two little words inscribed at the top of the Washington Monument, perhaps the largest, most famous memorial statue in the world. Historians have long claimed that the words Laus Deo (Latin for “praise be to God”) are inscribed in small letters at the very top of the monument where few people, if any, will ever be able to see them. No aerial photos have ever apparently confirmed this inscription, but documents from the time of construction indicate that the rumor is true. But the truth of the story might not be as dramatic as some would hope. According to documents, the latin phrase appears on the monument along side a number of architectural and design credits as well. And scholars are quick to point out that the inclusion of the phrase was probably more of a reflection of religious attitudes in the time of the design rather than of George Washington’s own ideas.

That is just a very short list of memorial statues in the United States and some of the interesting stories behind them.