Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (replica)
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (replica) by artist Antonio Solá. Located at 1/2 Fifth Avenue in “Willy’s Garden,” between Washington Square North and Washington Mews
Antonio Solá
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, replica
1986 (original completed 1935)
Cast Bronze
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (replica) is one of three 20th-century reproductions commissioned in 1986, more than a century and a half after the original was conceived. The original sculpture is on public view at the Palacio de las Cortes in Madrid, Spain and was produced in 1835 by artist Antonio Solá. He is considered by many art historians to be Spain’s last great neoclassical sculptor.
This replica was presented to the City of New York by the Mayor of Madrid, Enrique Tierno Galván in 1986. It stood in Bryant Park for several years before being donated to New York University in 1989. The other two replicas were presented to La Paz, Bolivia, and Beijing, China. The original sculpture is located at the Palacio de las Cortes in Madrid.
About the Artist
Solá was born in Barcelona in 1780. In 1803, he relocated to Rome where he studied at one of the most prestigious art schools in Europe, the Scuola del Nudo. From 1837 to 1840, Solá presided over the distinguished Accademia Nazionale di San Luca. He remained in Rome until his death in 1861.
About the Subject
The artist’s subject, Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), was a Spanish author, poet, and playwright best known for the beloved novel Don Quixote, perhaps the most influential work of Spanish Literature.
Willy's Garden
Open to the Public
1/2 Fifth Avenue in “Willy’s Garden,” between Washington Square North and Washington Mews