In the courtyard of Edinburgh's City Chambers on the Royal Mile stands a bronze sculpture most people walk past without ...

In the courtyard of Edinburgh's City Chambers on the Royal Mile stands a bronze sculpture most people walk past without a second look. It depicts Alexander the Great taming his legendary horse, Bucephalus, and it has a history that stretches from ancient Rome to the streets of Scotland's capital. The statue was created by Scottish sculptor Sir John Steell, who modelled it in 1832 after returning from studies in Rome. It wasn't cast in bronze until 1883, and was unveiled on April 18, 1884, in St Andrew Square before being moved to its current location in 1916. The inscriptions on the base read "ALEXANDER & BUCEPHALUS" and "MODELLED, 1832. CAST IN BRONZE, 1883." Steell drew direct inspiration from the ancient Castor and Pollux statues on Rome's Quirinal Hill, as well as from the Danish sculptor Thorvaldsen's Alexander frieze. His clay model attracted the attention of Sir Francis Chantrey, one of the most celebrated sculptors in Britain at the time. The Edinburgh art world took notice early. The work launched a remarkable career. Steell went on to build Scotland's first bronze foundry, was appointed Her Majesty's Sculptor for Scotland in 1838, and was knighted in 1876. The statue is now a Category A listed monument, the highest level of protection for historic buildings and structures in Scotland. The sculpture also appeared on the global screen in 2018, when Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War filmed action sequences in the City Chambers courtyard, bringing the ancient Macedonian king and his horse to audiences worldwide. The statue has since gained an additional layer of notoriety, having been "coned" by Edinburgh pranksters in the tradition that began with Glasgow's Duke of Wellington statue decades ago. #AlexanderTheGreat #Edinburgh #GreekHistory