Hey there,
here we go again! I started to have this weird obsession to learn about not so important facts. But I think it is kind of interesting and often learn something new.
So, after my series of which is the smallest or tallest statue, I started to wonder which is the most expensive statue in the world. So started my research with good old google. What I did not expect is that my research will bring me to an unexpected and new topic I wish to know more about!
You would think the most expensive statue must also be Huge like the statue of liberty or the statue of unity. And you are right, kind of!
The tallest statue in the world is statue of unity, which i introduced in a prvieous post cost about 422 million US Dollar.
image source: google maps
The statue of liberty cost only about 250.000 Dollar when it was built in France in the year 1885. This is equal to 5.4 million Dollars Today. Funny fact, the scrap metal of the statue of liberty would be worth $227,500 Dollar.
image source: therichest.com
The most expensive one i could find would be Mount Rushmore. Actually, at the time it was finished in 1941 the cost have only been about 1 million Dollars. But today the worth of it is calculated with 11 billion Dollars. Which seems quite appropriate in compare to the size.
image source: theguardian.com
What i found really surprising though, is the that there are much smaller statues with similar prices to their big teammates.
One good example for this would be the L'Homme Qui Marche also known as the "Walking Man" by the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti. This little guy was sold for the modest amount of $141.3 in 2015.
image source: wikipedia.org
It is very surprising how the costs for such iconic monuments differ.
But one thing which I came across, even if it is a bit out of topic, is even more fascinating for me. It is the Guennol Lioness. This magnificent piece of art is believed to be created around 3000-2800 BC and made of crystalline limestone. In 2007 it was sold for $57.2 million at Sotheby's auction house to Alastair Bradley Martin
I was a bit puzzled when I read about it and it strongly reminded me on the The Löwenmensch or Lion-man which i also wrote about in my previous post. Both statues are believed to be ridicules old both must have been made by skill full hands and bot resemble a human body with a lion head! Not to forget that the Lino-man was found in Germany while the Guennol Lioness was discovered near Baghdad, Iraq.
This really makes me wonder of the meaning of those statues! Do they have something in common? How did they have the same idea, also as far as I know are there no lions in Iraq nor Germany. Well, I guess I have something new to research.
What do you think about this? Do you know more old figures with human bodies and lion heads? Pleas le me know!
Thank you for stopping by and stay curious!
resources: