This plaque is part of the 'Praça XV' circuit. Click here to see all the circuits.
Few figures have been as referenced in the history of Rio de Janeiro as D. João VI. Regent of the Portuguese throne since 1792 — after the death of his older brother, José, and the diagnosis of his mother, Dona Maria I, as "mentally incapable" of ruling the kingdom — the prince faced turbulent moments in his rule, with constant tensions between Portugal and France after the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Facing French threats, Dom João VI decided to transfer the Portuguese Court to Brazil with the help of the English government, and, in March 1808, after a brief stay in Salvador, the royal family landed in Rio de Janeiro, transforming the city into the capital of the Lusitanian empire.
Image description: The image is a painting depicting a festive event. On the left, we see people dressed in formal attire, including a man in a black suit and another in a green uniform. In the center, two men in white suits stand out, one holding a draped red cloth. On the right, we find women in elegant dresses, some wearing hats. In the background, there is a building with a sloped roof and colorful flags hanging. The spatial arrangement moves from the foreground, where the figures are closer, to the background, where the building and flags are more distant. The colors range between pastel and vibrant tones, especially in the women's outfits and the flags. There is no legible text in the image.Chegada da família real portuguesa à Igreja do Rosário, então Sé do Rio de Janeiro (representação). Armando Vianna, 1937. Wikimedia Commons
With the arrival of hundreds of Portuguese people in Rio, the city underwent major transformations in its infrastructure, customs, and traditions. In the years following 1808, several institutions were created, such as the Royal Military Academy, the Military Archive, the Academia de Belas Artes do Rio de Janeiro, the Banco do Brasil, the Royal Library, the Casa da Moeda, the Royal Press, and the Jardim Botânico. The Palace of the Viceroys became the Royal Palace, the Carmo convent became the residence of D. Maria I, and Rio was transformed into a "New Lisbon." However, with the Napoleonic threat neutralized, pressure from his subjects in Lisbon led Dom João VI to return to Portugal in 1821, after 13 years in Rio de Janeiro, leaving one of his nine children, Dom Pedro, as prince regent of Brazil. D. João reigned in Lisbon for another half decade, until on March 4, 1826, the monarch was struck by an illness that led to his death six days later.
Image description: This is a painting depicting a historical scene. On the left side, we see a ship with tall masts, sailing on a calm sea. Moving toward the right, we see a large crowd of people gathered on a rocky bluff. They are raising their arms in gestures of celebration or farewell. At the top of the bluff, more people watch the scene. To the right, there are brick buildings with windows and a flag raised on the rooftop. In the lower right, a few individuals are near the water, possibly waiting to board.Partida da rainha Carlota Joaquina (e a Corte portuguesa), em abril de 1821. Irmãos Thierry, 1839 - Wikimedia Commons
Inaugurated in 1965 at Praça XV, the statue of Dom João VI was offered as a gift by the Portuguese government, and was part of the celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the city's founding (1565). The work is by the Portuguese modernist sculptor Salvador Carvão da Silva d'Eça Barata Feyo, and is quite representative of the moment in which it was installed, as well as of the memory that was meant to be built around the monarch. Seeking to avoid any "genial old man" image, the statue portrays Dom João on top of his horse — that is, it is an equestrian statue, a type used since Antiquity to exalt figures considered heroic, such as emperors, kings and military leaders —, reportedly of the Portuguese Alter Real breed, climbing a ramp, so as to further enhance the animal's physical stature. The monument faces Guanabara Bay, with Dom João looking toward the very spot where he and the entire Portuguese Court disembarked, on March 8, 1808. In his right hand, Dom João holds an orb, that is, a terrestrial globe attached to a cross. The symbol was frequently used by Catholic kingdoms, such as that of Portugal, to represent Christ's dominion — represented by the cross — over the world (the orb).
Image description: The image shows an equestrian statue on a sunny day with a blue sky. The statue is positioned at the center of the image, with the horse and its rider prominently featured. The horse is in motion, with its tail raised and hind legs lifted. The rider, wearing a cloak, holds a cross in his right hand. The base of the statue is square and bears inscriptions in Portuguese. In the background, there are green trees and a lamppost.Na imagem, é possível ver o orbe na mão de D. João, assim como a placa com a indicação do presente de Portugal. Wikimapia
Weighing almost six tons, the tribute to the monarch was built in bronze and placed on a marble pedestal. Besides the impact it has had on the popular imagination of Rio locals and tourists passing through the site, the statue played a fundamental role in the Luso-Brazilian memory of Rio's population. In 2012, a replica of the sculpture was installed in the city of Porto, in Portugal.
Image description: The image is a photograph of an equestrian statue located in a public space. The statue is positioned in the center of the image, with a white pedestal at its base. On the left, there are green trees and a bridge structure in the background. On the right, there are also trees and modern buildings. On the horizon, the sky is partly cloudy, with tones of blue and gray.Estátua equestre de D. João VI. Wikimedia Commons
