A masterpiece in Madrid's Orient Square

Madrid, due to its long history, its legends and traditions and above all, the richness and variety of its heritage, both historical, artistic and cultural, contains many places and objects of interest, worthy of discovery.

One such place, adjacent to another of the great architectural landmarks, whose final execution we owe to the brilliant Italian architect, Sabatini, is the labyrinthine and historic Orient Square.

In its geometric centre, surrounded by gardens, whose labyrinth-shaped design introduces us to that symbolism of the unconscious that defines, like few others, the transcendence of the vital journey, a superb work of art often goes unnoticed, despite the complexities it hides.

This is the formidable equestrian sculpture of a Bourbon king, Philip IV, who, in order to surpass in grandeur the other one, which is currently also located in the centre of the nearby Main Square and which represents his father, King Philip III, did not spare any kind of gestures to ensure its spectacularity.

The work, executed in Italy by the sculptor Pietro Tacca, also counts on having been designed by one of the great geniuses of Spanish and universal painting of all times, author, among others, of another of the symbols, which, currently, form part of that Cultural Madrid known to all, the Meninas: Diego Velázquez.

But, given that, due to its complexity, being a statue whose horse adopted the posture known as that of a corvette, or what is the same, with its front legs raised in the air, it is not only considered the first of its kind, but, in addition, given that the sculpture, in its time, was completely solid, its considerable weight made its execution almost impossible. The solution to the problem was offered by another of the great Italian geniuses of all time, whose observations on the planets and the universe brought him numerous problems with the Inquisition, to the point of having to retract: Galileo Galilei.

Galilei suggested that the hindquarters be solid and the front ones hollow, so that he not only solved the problem, but also offered another great solution to later sculptors.

We have, therefore, in this work, not only a masterful piece of art, but also a legendary testimony of a king, Philip IV, of whom legend has it that he ordered a formidable treasure to be hidden somewhere in the Retiro Park, which has not yet been found. Who knows, perhaps the clues are found here, in a monumental statue, which, in some way, seems to want to emulate the fantastic story of Cyrano de Bergerac and his trip to the Moon.

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