Statue of Queen Victoria

1896

Sculptor: Mario Raggi (1821-1907)

Commissioned for the Golden Jubilee

Bronze, on granite pedestal with steps and Portland stone canopy

Hong Kong, China

Commissioned to mark the queen’s Golden Jubilee of 1887, Mario Raggi’s statue was shown at the sculptor’s studio in London before being shipped to Hong Kong in 1896. The unveiling took place on May 28, the day officially appointed for the celebration of the queen’s 77^th birthday. Seated under a sixty-foot-high architectural canopy made of imported Dorset stone, the queen’s statue surveyed the harbor, towering over an elaborate ceremony for which naval vessels and more than two thousand troops were assembled. The extent of this military display was a reminder of the strategic importance of this major naval base and reflected growing concern about potential threats to Hong Kong at the end of the nineteenth century.

Related Media

"The Ceremony at the Unveiling of the Statue": unveiling by Sir William Robinson, Governor of Hong Kong, on May 28, 1896. Hong Kong, China. "The Ceremony at the Unveiling of the Statue": unveiling by Sir William Robinson, Governor of Hong Kong, on May 28, 1896. Hong Kong, China. [The Graphic (July 18, 1896), p. 87.]

"In Memoriam, Victoria the Good": statue of Queen Victoria with wreaths, March 1901. "In Memoriam, Victoria the Good": statue of Queen Victoria with wreaths, March 1901. [Navy and Army Illustrated 12, no. 216 (23 March 1901): 7.]