Étienne Maurice Falconet's equestrian statue of Tsar…
August 1782 CE
Conspicuously absent from the crowd of thousands is Falconet, as a misunderstanding between him and the empress had turned into a serious conflict.
As a result, he had been forced to leave Russia four years before the project was completed.
The statue's pedestal is the enormous Thunder Stone, the largest stone ever moved by humans.
The stone originally weighed about 1500 tons, and had been carved down to 1250 during transportation to its current site.
Images
Opening of the Monument to Peter the Great on Senate Square, St. Petersburg. Engraving by A. K. Melnikov of the drawing by A. P. Davydov, 1782. 65x83.7 cm. State Hermitage.
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Northeastern Eurasia
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