Author Topic: Artillery into Art (Read 571 times)

Cannoneer · « **on:** February 08, 2011, 10:17:34 PM »

The Virgin Mary Statue That is Made of 213 Russian Cannons

The statue of Notre-Dame de France, in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, was built after the Crimean War.
Le Puy-en-Velay is a commune in south-central France that in medieval times marked a starting-point for the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, a walk of some 1600 km, as it still does today.
The planning of a monumental statue of the Virgin to be constructed on the summit of the Rocher Corneille, above the Cathedral, began in 1850. Despite the many donations, the amount didn’t reach the total that was needed, and this is when a French General offered an idea. General Pelissier was a commander of the French expeditionary force at Sevastopol during the Crimean War, and he suggested that they claim Russian cannon as war trophies as soon as they were defeated.
Sevastopol did fall some time later and 213 cannons representing 150,000 pounds of iron were given by the Emperor Napoleon III to the bishop of Le Puy.
The statue was designed by French sculptor Jean-Marie Bonnassieux, and it was presented to the town on the 12th of September 1860 in front of 120,000 people.
The statue can be climbed on a spiral staircase inside the figure to reach the crown, and is 16 meters high (22 m. 70 with the pedestal).

http://socyberty.com/history/the-virgin-mary-statue-that-is-made-of-213-russian-cannons/#ixzz1CtJNo485

Zulu · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2011, 03:30:17 AM »

Boom J,
You come up with the coolest stuff!
Zulu

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2011, 05:36:45 AM »

Quote from: Zulu on February 09, 2011, 03:30:17 AM

Boom J,
You come up with the coolest stuff!
Zulu

Agree.

Zulu - your cannons are safe! They can't be melted down!

Zulu · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2011, 06:35:49 AM »

Quote from: Cat Whisperer on February 09, 2011, 05:36:45 AM

Quote from: Zulu on February 09, 2011, 03:30:17 AM
Boom J,
You come up with the coolest stuff!
Zulu

Agree.

Zulu - your cannons are safe! They can't be melted down!

Ashes to ashes.

Zulu

lance · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2011, 07:46:20 AM »

Interesting article.

FDC · « **Reply #5 on:** February 09, 2011, 07:57:05 AM »

If it's metal, anything can be melted down and reshaped..

LOL...

Zulu.. .that is one "INTEMIDATING" looking cannon in your avatar. Is that yours?

Zulu · « **Reply #6 on:** February 09, 2011, 08:15:50 AM »

Quote from: FDC on February 09, 2011, 07:57:05 AM

If it's metal, anything can be melted down and reshaped.. LOL...

Zulu.. .that is one "BITCH'N" looking cannon in your avatar. Is that yours?

FDC,
Look in this other thread.
Zulu
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,227096.0.html

FDC · « **Reply #7 on:** February 09, 2011, 11:04:07 AM »

WOW... verry, Verrrrrrry, VERY NICE!!! Zulu. That is an absolute BEAUTIFUL reproduction. I am soo taken to it I just may decide to cast a cannon of that style, instead of the M1857, Napoleon I was planning. Do you have a dimensional drawing of that I could purchase a copy from you? WOW... my ears ring just look'n at that thang!! I am most impressed with its snubnose apearance, "Bulldog" look about it, but it's still plenty long enough for some serious takedown power and accuracy, to boot. That's about the perfect size I'm after to create in cast, btw. I'd have to make another temporary furnace, or maybe 2, to facilitate a pour that big but it'd be well worth it.

Zulu · « **Reply #8 on:** February 09, 2011, 11:57:10 AM »

FDC,
You would make that out of bronze??? Wow!!!
I got the drawing from the book "Round Shot and Rammers". There were no dimensions on the drawing and I forget where I got the numbers for a 12 pounder but they are pretty accurate. There is one at The Alamo that is almost exactly the same size and it has trunnions.
Look at my website at the bottom of this post to see many other barrel styles.
Zulu

FDC · « **Reply #9 on:** February 09, 2011, 12:23:39 PM »

I did go visit your website, Zulu... very nice stuff there. Excellent work, too, btw.

That wild child in your avatar, though, has me perked BIG TIME!! It doesn't look "antique" in apearance to me. It looks like something modern applied to a modernized, more "industrial"-like carriage using old school techniques in its construction. That's why it's got me so stoked. Art and Engineering is what I see in that piece, very much my background all my life. To me, that muzzle spells "SERIOUS ATTITUDE!!", easily wielded into position and sturdy enough to take a close proximity hit without rendering it disfunctional. Those colors, too, remind me of my NAM era enlistment in the artillery. I take it you merely created your own dimensions off the drawing in that book compared to something you measured at the Alamo?