Archival ResourcesThe Colossi
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| The difference between a work of art and a monument, one might argue,
is that a work of art represents one individual's self-expression while a
monument reflects a society's point of view. Monuments, of course, may
also be works of art, but that is not their primary function: their
primary function is to serve as a permanent symbol. Indeed, the Latin root
of the word monument means "things that remind."
When members of Birmingham's Commercial Club embarked upon a monument
building project in 1903, they did so with hopes and aspirations similar
to those of countless other monument builders from ancient times to the
present: They wanted to celebrate an important feature of their society;
to suggest, through the monument's immense size, the importance of their
idea; and to transmit that idea to the world and to future
generations. Thus, Vulcan speaks to us today of turn-of-the-century
Alabamians who were proud of themselves and their booming iron and steel
town and who envisioned a bright future for their city. |
Below, Vulcan’s size compared to other colossi, excluding ancient monuments:
Motherland by Yevgenyi Vuchetich,
1967, 270 feet; Mamayev Hill, Volgograd, U.S.S.R., reinforced concrete
with stainless steel sword.
Liberty Enlightening the World ("The Statue
of Liberty") by Frederick Auguste Bartholdi, dedicated 1886, 151 feet (pedestal
154.5 feet); New York Harbor, hammered copper over iron framwork.
Christ the Redeemer, 1931, 98.5 feet; Corcovado
Mountain (2,310 feet), Rio de Janeiro.
Arminius by Ernst von Bandel, dedicated
1875, 85 feet (pedestal 88.5 feet), near Detmold in Westphalia, Germany,
hammered copper over iron framework.
S. Carlo Borromeo by G.B. Crespi, 1696,
75.5 feet (pedestal 39 feet), Arona on Lago Maggiore, Italy, hammered copper
on masonry.
Bavaria by Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler, 1848, 59
feet, Munich, Germany, cast bronze.
Vulcan by Giuseppe
Moretti, 1904, 56 feet (pedestal 124 feet); Birmingham, Alabama, cast iron.
Notre-Dame de France by J.M. Bonnassieux,
1860, 52.5 feet, Le Puy-en-Valay, France, bronze.
|
 Vulcan by the
Numbers*
Total height: ........................................56
feet
Height to top of head: ..........................51
feet
Length of face: ........................7 feet, 6 inches
Length of foot: .....................................6
feet
Length of arm:
.....................................10
feet
Distance across shoulders:
.....................10 feet
Circumference of chest:
.............22
feet, 9 inches
Diameter of ankle:
.......................2
feet, 6 inches
Diameter of calf of leg:
.................4
feet, 3 inches
Diameter of waist (side to side):
.....8 feet, 9 inches
Diameter of waist (front to back):
...5 feet, 9 inches
Circumference of waist:
...............18
feet, 3 inches
Circumference of neck:
................11
feet, 6 inches
Diameter of neck:
.........................3
feet, 7 inches
Total weight of figure:
..................100,000
pounds
Weight of anvil block:
.....................6,000
pounds
Weight of spear head:
......................350
pounds
Weight of hammer:
..........................300
pounds
*According to the Birmingham Age-Herald,
March 13, 1904 |
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