Title of the sculpture: Hellas (crowns) Byron

Location: Vasilissis Olgas 1

Construction: 1896

Material: Marble

Sculptors: Henri Michel Antoine Chapu, Jean Alexandre Joseph Falquiere, Lazaros Sochos

Description: Marble complex, three meters in height, depicting Greece personified in the form of a half-naked seated woman, crowning Lord Byron with a palm branch in gratitude of his services. Greece, rendered on a larger scale, has almost embraced the philhellene. The pedestal of the sculpture is circular, tiered with relief decorations.

A few words about the Poet: Lord Byron (1788 - 1824) was an English aristocrat, poet, politician, philhellene and one of the most important figures of Romanticism (the literary movement that dominated the 18th century and was characterized by freedom of expression, creative imagination and individual feeling). In 1809 he traveled to Greece where he wrote one of his most famous works, The Pilgrimage of Child Harold. In April 1823 he sent  4.000 pounds of his own money, a large sum at the time, to prepare the Greek fleet and then sailed for Mesolongi. However, in April 1824 he fell seriously ill and he eventually took his last breath there.

A few words about the Sculptors (group work):

Henri Michel Antoine Chapu (1833 - 1891): French sculptor who followed the neoclassical technique and became known for allegory in his works.

Jean Joseph Alexandre Falguière (1831 - 1900): French sculptor and painter.

Lazaros Sochos (1862 - 1911): A distinguished Greek sculptor who, while still a student, sculpted the two statues that adorn the Palace, "Perseus bearing the head of Medusa" and "Odysseus recognized by Argos". In 1908 he was appointed professor of the Sculpture Department at the School of Arts. The statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis, the model of which he had worked on in Mercier's studio between 1891 and 1895, was exhibited at the Paris World Fair in 1900 and was awarded the Gold Medal, and also received a prize from the Academy of Rome.

Sources:
Marchand, L. A. (ed.). (1957). Byron: A Biography. Alfred A Knopf
Antonopoulou, Z. (2003). The sculptures of Athens: Open Air Sculpture 1834 - 2004. Athens: Potamos.