Dom Pedro IV, Porto

Dom Pedro IV is Porto’s equestrian monument to King Pedro IV, standing in Liberdade Square. The rider wears military dress, holds the constitutional charter in his right hand, and guides the horse with reins in his left; Célestin Anatole Calmels created the sculpture, and Joaquim da Costa Lima designed its architecture. The figure rises on a lioz-stone column about 10 metres high, while the statue itself weighs five tons and is made of bronze.

Look at the pedestal’s paired relief panels: one records Pedro’s landing at Mindelo and his presentation of a flag to Tomás de Melo Breyner; the other shows Porto receiving Pedro’s heart. The panels were originally Carrara marble and were later replaced by bronze copies for protection. The monument was inaugurated on 19 October 1866, and its inscription dedicates it to Pedro and the city of Porto.