On Rubbed Statues

Brigham Young’s Index Finger,

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

As you have observed over the years, I’ve seen more monuments and memorials than the average bear. Unlike marble and granite, there is this thing about bronze statues…and what happens when we humans decide to direct our attention to a specific part of a sculpture. When we were inside the Utah capitol recently, I noted that we were going to address this phenomenon.

Statue-rubbing is one of those quirky habits of our superstitious species. Google the phrase and you’ll get millions of hits. It seems we just can’t help but touch some part of a statue because it may grant a wish or bring us luck. Abe Lincoln, our greatest president, has had his likeness made so many times and the poor guy’s nose always gets the treatment.

Bust of Abraham Lincoln by Gutzon Borglum [1908]

City College of New York (8 May 2015)

Nervous CCNY students…I certainly was when I almost flunked out of there, have been rubbing Lincoln’s nose for a long time. The original marble work by Gutzon Borglum, known for many notable works including Mt. Rushmore, resides in the Crypt of our capitol in Washington. At the time this bronze cast was acquired by the school, only two others existed. One is in the White House and the other is at Lincoln’s burial site in Springfield, Illinois. There is a shot of that bust, also similarly abused, in my 2012 presentation of Lincoln’s grave.

If it’s not the nose that gets rubbed, it’s some other protruding part. A young martyr who died during the upheavals in France in 1870 is buried under a prone likeness of his murdered self. The lump in his pants and his lips have been fondled to a bright sheen by the women of Paris, wishing for marriage, fertility or just good sex.

Statue of Molly Malone, Dublin (19 February 2011)

Molly Malone, a fictional Irish fishmonger, is memorialized on the streets of Dublin and, for some reason, has not drawn tactile attention to her hands or nose or the fish in the basket. I can’t imagine why.

One of the primo destinations in Prague is the Charles Bridge. It’s been straddling the Vltava River since 1357 and is known for the thirty statues that decorate its railings. The only bronze statue was the first to be installed there in 1683. It commemorates St. John Nepomuk who was thrown off the bridge by the king because he would not reveal what the queen said during her confessions.

   

Details of the John of Nepomuk Memorial, Charles Bridge, Prague (22 December 2009)

Beneath the figure of the martyred saint are two relief plaques. The best I can tell is that tour guides encourage people to rub the one on the right…the falling man to ensure you return to Prague, and the queen for granting your wish. The left panel, which shows the confessional scene, has a guard with a dog and the dog has drawn just as much attention because he is cute…or there are too many people crowding the queen and visitors just have to rub something.

FDR Memorial, Washington, D.C. (10 April 2014)

It’s not just human parts we can’t leave alone. Here at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, there is a display that depicts FDR late in life…seated, looking weary under his cape. At his feet is his beloved Scottie terrier, Fala. While the president’s index finger gets the tourist treatment, so does the dog’s nose and ears.

Bev, The Fat Policeman and Becky,

Budapest (5 April 2017)

In front of St. Steven’s Basilica in Budapest stands the Fat Policeman. The artist modeled the statue on his grandfather who was a cop and wore his ceremonial outfit on special occasions. It’s obvious where tourists’ good luck wishes are directed.

Charging Bull by Arturo Di Modica, [1989]

New York City (25 March 2008)

One of the popular attractions in lower Manhattan, it’s difficult to get a picture of the ‘Charging Bull’ without some tourist in front of it. Encouraged by local tour guides, three parts of the bull are rubbed for good luck. It being the symbol of aggressive financial optimism, we’re told the horns, nose (it’s always the nose) and testicles need to be acknowledged. I have a picture of niece Katie and her cousin Bella at the other end of the beast but Images and More is a decent, family blog and there’ll be none of that here.