Statues, Statues, Everywhere Photo Quiz | Statues

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The photo shows a cast of a famous statue by Auguste Rodin from 1889 that stands in the lea of the Houses of Parliament in London. The statue commemorates events that occurred during the Hundred Years War in which French city, where the original statue still dominates the central plaza?

Answer: Calais

"The Burghers of Calais" is a 1889 work by the French sculptor widely acknowledged as the "father of modern sculpture", Auguste Rodin.

The statue commemorates events during the Hundred Years War between England and France, when the French port was besieged by the English following King Edward III's victory over Philip VI at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Apparently, Edward agreed to spare the people of the city if six of its leaders surrendered themselves. One of the town's wealthiest men and five other burghers volunteered, expecting to be executed to save the city. As required by the English, the six walked out of the city with nooses around their necks, bringing the keys to the city, and it is this moment that Rodin's statue depicts. In the end, Edward was persuaded, probably by his wife, Queen Philippa of Hainault, to spare the burghers' lives.

2. Built between 2003 and 2010, the 144-foot tall Kailashnath Mahadev Statue is the world's tallest statue of Shiva, one of the three major Hindu deities. To which country must you travel to see this statue?

Answer: Nepal

The Kailashnath Mahadev Statue is located at Sanga, about 15 miles from Kathmandu in central Nepal. Since it was unveiled in 2010, the statue has attracted an average of 5,000 visitors on weekdays and significantly more on weekends and during Hindu festivals.

At 144 feet, this ranks at #40 on the list of the world's tallest statues, just four places behind the Statue of Liberty. The statue is constructed from copper, zinc. steel and concrete.

3. Erected in 1865, this statue of the explorers Burke and Wills is the work of English-born Australian sculptor Charles Summers (1825-78). It can be seen at the corner of Collins and Swanston Streets in which Australian city?

Answer: Melbourne

Robert O'Hara Burke, born in 1821 in St Clerens, County Galway on the west coast of Ireland, was a soldier and police officer. William John Wills, born in 1834 in Totnes, Devon in southwestern England, was a surveyor and surgeon. Together they led 19 men in 1860 on a 2,000-mile journey from Melbourne, Victoria headed for the Gulf of Carpentaria on Queensland's north coast.

Whilst the expedition became the first to make it all the way south-to-north across Australia, they lost several men in doing so and there was still the return trip to be made. In the end only one man, an Irish soldier named John King (1838-72), made it back to Melbourne, and he had to be rescued after getting help from Aborigines, who kept him alive. Burke and Willis both died of exhaustion and starvation whilst waiting for rescuers to arrive.

They are commemorated with the Charles Summers' statue in Melbourne.

4. Originally sculpted for the promotion of the 1982 film "Rocky III", this 10-foot tall, 2-ton statue by A. Thomas Schomberg depicts Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa. Until the stadium was demolished in 2011, it stood outside the Wachovia Spectrum in which U.S. city?

Answer: Philadelphia

Located in the southern suburbs of the city, the Wachovia Spectrum was home to the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL and the 76ers of the NBA from 1967 until 1996. From 1996 until 2009 it hosted the indoor soccer league team, the Philadelphia KiXX.

The Spectrum was the nominal venue for the first two fights between Balboa and Apollo Creed, seen in the first two films in the "Rocky" franchise, although the actual fight sequences were filmed at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

The statue now stands near the centre of the city, close to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, alongside a statue of Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving.

5. Modelled by Gustav Vigeland in 1924, "The Monolith" is the centrepiece of the 58 statues that comprise the "Vigeland Installation". This amazing collection is located within Frogner Park, now a major tourist attraction in which European capital city?

Answer: Oslo

Frogner Park is located in the northeastern part of Oslo, and is surrounded by some of the most expensive property in the whole of Norway. The "Vigeland Installation", a permanent home to many of the works by Norway's most famous sculptor, was created between 1920 and 1943. In addition to the actual sculptures, the park also includes iconic bridges and fountains.

The Monolith Plateau contains 36 figures leading up to the totem pole that provides the centrepiece.

6. Viewed here with the city skyline in the background, the "Merlion" is a mythical creature with the body of a fish and the lead of a lion. The "Merlion" was moved to its current location, in front of the Fullerton Hotel overlooking Marina Bay, in 2002. In which Asian city can this statue be seen?

Answer: Singapore

The merlion is the official emblem of Singapore. It derives from a combination of the city's previous names: 'Temasek' (meaning "sea town"), the Javanese name for the original fishing village here; and 'Singapura' (meaning "lion city").

The merlion statue was first unveiled in 1972. At that time, it stood at the mouth of the Singapore River. Completion of the Esplanade Bridge in 1997 blocked views of the statue from Marina Bay, and it was duly moved to its current location five years later.

7. Everyone is familiar with Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square. Less famous is the Duke of York Column which, at 137' 9", is just 18 inches shorter than its more famous neighbour. Completed in 1834, near which famous London thoroughfare does the Duke of York Column stand?

Answer: The Mall

The column was completed in December 1832 and the statue of the Duke of York 18 months later. Sculpted by English architect Benjamin Dean Wyatt (1775-1852), the monument honours Price Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (1763-1827), the second son of King George III. A British commander during the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802), English children will know of him from the nursery rhyme, "The Grand Old Duke of York". Legend has it that when he died the whole British Army voted to give up a day's pay to fund this monument.

The Duke of York Column stands in Waterloo Place and Gardens, just below the southern end of Regent Street, on The Mall across from Horse Guards Parade. Appropriately, the wide flights of steps leading down into The Mall are called the Duke of York Steps.

8. We return to the USA for our next example which, at 56-feet tall, was the world's largest statue made from cast iron when it was made in the early 20th century. This is the Statue of Vulcan: no, not Mr Spock, but the Roman god of fire, volcanoes and metalworking. Which U.S. state must you visit to see this statue?

Answer: Alabama

One of the most ancient of Roman gods, Vulcan is the god of fire and smithery and his feast day is celebrated in August 23.

A century after its completion still the world's tallest cast iron statue, Vulcan ranks #14 on the list of the tallest statues in the U.S. It was forged to represent the city of Birmingham, Alabama's roots in the iron and steel industry as part of the "Louisiana Purchase Exposition" at the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis, MO. Following the World's Fair, the statue returned to Birmingham and was situated in the Alabama State Fairground, In 1936, it was moved to its current location, in Vulcan Park at the top of Red Mountain on the south side of the city.

9. 'Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi' ("Fountain of the Four Rivers") is a spectacular work by the creator of the Baroque style of sculpture, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). The base of the fountain represents the four 'River Gods' overlooked by an Egyptian-style obelisk. This statue is situated in the 'Piazza Navona' in which Italian city?

Answer: Rome

'Piazza Navona' stands today on the original site of the 'Stadio di Domiziano' ("Stadium of Domitian") or 'Circus Agonalis' ("competition arena"), built to stage athletics contests by the Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus in 80 AD. It was located on the north side of 'Campus Martius', the ,most populous district in Ancient Rome. Piazza Navona itself began as the city's market square at the end of the 15th century.

Bernini built his famous statue in 1651 for Pope Innocent X (pope from 1644-55), whose house overlooked the square. The rivers represent the largest rivers on each of the four continents known at the time: the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges and the Rio de la Plata.

10. This magnificent 49-foot tall statue of George V, King of Great Britain and Emperor of India, is the tallest of any statue of him in the world. It originally stood outside India Gate, but following India's independence in 1947 it was moved to its current location adjacent to the Memorial Obelisk in Coronation Park. In which Indian city can this statue be seen?

Answer: Delhi

Located on Burari Road, near Nirankari Sarovar, amongst the crowded shanty towns of northern Delhi, what is now "Coronation Park" was the site of the celebration proclaiming Victoria as Empress of India in 1877. It was here, too, that Edward VII (in 1903) and George V (in 1911) were crowned Emperor.

The sandstone Obelisk which stands at the centre of the park was erected to commemorate the crowning of George V in December 1911, six months after his coronation as King in Westminster Abbey, London. It was on this same trip that he also laid the foundation stone for New Delhi, India's new capital. The pictured statue of King George V was moved from outside India Gate (aka "The All India War Memorial") on the eastern edge of central New Delhi, in the mid-1960s.

Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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Statues, Statues, Everywhere Trivia Quiz

Here are ten notable statues photographed and described. What you need to do is tell me where they can be seen.

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