91�Թ���

The Duke of Westminster was present at the unveiling. From the we learnt that this is the first statue of a Portuguese personality to be erected in London. Its location is perfect, being opposite the Portuguese Embassy at 11 Belgrave Square.

However, the origin of this statue, erected more than fifty years after the sculptor's death in 1950, is somewhat mysterious.  Why was it erected in 2002?  Was it created especially for this location? If so, who funded it? If not, where did it come from?  Copies can, and often are, made of statues but it is an expensive process.

says that the original version of this statue was created in 1915 and a stone version was unveiled in 1932 in Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel Island (one of the islands in the Portuguese Azores), to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the then-believed discovery of the Azores. The holds a life-size version in plaster, dated 1915. Photos of the one on São Miguel () show it to be in white marble.

A bronze is located at Fall River, Massachusetts, but, oddly, is credited to the Italian-born American sculptor, Aristide Berto Cianfarani (1895-1960).  The plaque at that statue says that it marks the eighth centennial of Portuguese national organization in 1140 and that it was “Erected by the people of Portuguese descent of New England and their friends on June 30, 1940.” says that many of the Portuguese community in Fall River came from São Miguel. We can only think that those Portuguese people funded the creation of a copy of the statue on São Miguel and the process was overseen by Cianfarani.

But none of this answers the questions about the version in Belgrave Square.

Sources: , , , . And thanks to Mr Little for his research.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them