The Largest Statue in the World
The largest statue in the world is that of "Liberty Enlightening the World," to be erected on Bedloe's Island, in New-York Harbor.
This statue was a gift to the people of the United States from the people of France, and was intended to foster the friendly feeling existing between the two countries.
The statue, which represents a female figure standing upright, and holding a torch high above her head (signifying the light cast by the broad rays of liberty), is made of repousse copper, one-eighth of an inch in thickness, which is kept in position by iron plates and braces. The dimensions of the statue are,--
From heel to top of head. . . . 111 feet.
Height of head. . . . 13 1/2 feet.
Width of eye. . . . 28 inches.
Length of nose. . . . 45 inches.
Length of forefinger. . . . 7 11/12 feet.
The statue stands on a pedestal eighty-nine feet high. The head will easily accommodate forty persons; and the torch, which is reached by a spiral staircase, will hold twelve persons.
The total cost of the statue, including gifts, gratuitous work, and losses sustained by those who gave valuable assistance, is about two hundred thousand dollars. The cost of the statue proper is about forty thousand dollars. It was designed and executed by M. Bartholdi, a French architect and sculptor, and was formally received in New York, June 19, 1885. The heights of other famous statues of the world are as follows:--
Memnon (about). . . . 60 feet.
Borromeo at Lake Maggiore. . . . 66 feet.
Arminius in Westphalia (about). . . . 92 feet.
Colossus at Rhodes. . . . 105 feet.
Nero. . . . . . . 118 feet.