Guyot monument

About this artwork.

Groningen's oldest monument was erected in 1829 in honour of Henri Daniël Guyot. This Walloon reformed preacher founded the Royal Institute for the Deaf in 1790.
 
The monument is a pillar of honour, with many symbols referring to the death of Guyot and to death in general. There's an urn on it with a flame above it. In the corner posts of the fence around the memorial column, the burning and reversed torch returns as a symbol of mortality and transience. This is also reflected in the winged hourglasses. 
 
Other symbols are signs of eternal fame and friendship, such as the laurel wreath around the portrait; a snake biting its tail around a golden star and evergreen ivy leaves around a butterfly. Sadness and mourning are expressed in the cornice of water leaves – a reference to tears – and in the black of the plinth. The white marble of the column indicates “true beauty and nobility”.
 
The designers of the memorial column were father Charles and son Jean François Sigault from Amsterdam. They were particularly proud of their creation and had a print made on the occasion of the inauguration on 21 November 1829. In order to ensure the continued existence of the monument, a wooden box covered with lead has been bricked into the foundation, containing prints and drawings of the design.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Charles Sigault
  Jean François Sigault

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1829

• Art type
  Monument

• Material
  Bronze, Granite, Marble

• Dimensions
  h 5,20 x b 1,50 x d 1,50 m