King Jose I

The statue depicts King Jose I on his horse, which several snakes at its feet.

The statue stands on a pediment flanked respectively left and right, by allegorical sculptures of Triumph and Fame, which symbolize the submitting of the continents to the Portuguese.
In front of the pedestal, facing the river, is a large relief showing the royal coat of arms, under which was placed a bronze medallion with the portrait of the Marquis of Pombal.
On the opposite face there is a bas-relief allegory to the Royal Generosity, translating the monarch's commitment to the reconstruction of the city destroyed by the Earthquake.

The statue was unveiled in 1775 and was the first statue dedicated to a King in Portugal.

The bronze equestrian statue of Joseph I of Portugal (1750 – 1777) was designed by Machado de Castro in 1775. Joseph I was King of Portugal during the Great Earthquake and is the first cast bronze statue in Portugal it is also the oldest public statue in Lisbon and the country.Read more