LARGE PATINATED PLASTER MAQUETTE OF THE EQUESTRIAN GROUP OF SIMON BOLIVAR, THE LIBERATOR, BY FELIX W. DE WELDON, (AUSTRIAN-AMERICAN, 1907-2003)

LARGE PATINATED PLASTER MAQUETTE OF THE EQUESTRIAN GROUP OF SIMON BOLIVAR, THE LIBERATOR, BY FELIX W. DE WELDON, (AUSTRIAN-AMERICAN, 1907-2003) According to the estate of the previous owner, this maquette by De Weldon was one of three different models submitted to the committee which selected the equestrian monument of Bolivar. The bronze monument depicts Bolivar astride his horse with his right arm raised over his head; he wields a sword holding it upwards. His military uniform shows great detail, including the gold medal given to him by Lafayette and sent by George Washington Custis. (see J. Goode, The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., 1974, illustrated, p. 470).

Simon Bolivar was called â The George Washington of South Americaâ and he was a â symbol of the bond between the United States and our Latin America neighbors.â The work was designed by Felix W. de Weldon, who also constructed the Iwo Jima Memorial. (Goode, p. 470).

Felix de Weldonâ s bronze equestrian monument of Simon Bolivar is located near the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., on 18th Street at C Street and Virginia Avenue NW. According to Wikipedia, the statue was authorized by the United States Congress on July 5, 1949, and permission for the piece to be installed on public property was granted on June 29, 1955. The sculpture was donated by the Venezuelan government, which also paid for its installation. h:43 w:44 d:10 in.

Provenance: Estate of Col. Robert E. Bartos and Sharon Bartos, Puerto Rico