Monument to Charles III the Noble

• Author: Francisco López Hernández.

• Materials and technique: Lost wax bronze.

• Dimensions: Image: 210 cm; Stand: 144 x 100 x 100 x 100 cm.

• Location: Confluence of Avenida de Carlos III and place del Castillo.

• Date of installation: 8 September 2004 (inauguration).

One of the great monarchs of the dynasty of Pamplona was Charles III the Noble, King of Navarre between 1387 and 1425, a patron and promoter of the arts, and the driving force behind the building of Pamplona Cathedral and the royal palaces of Tafalla and Olite. In 1423 he instituted the degree scroll of Prince of Viana for the heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Navarre, the first being his grandson Carlos. And on 8 September of the same year, he put an end to the confrontations between the three burghs of Pamplona (Navarrería, San Cernin and San Nicolás) with the promulgation of the Privilege of the Union, by which they were united into a single town council.

The sculpture, cast in lost-wax bronze, depicts the monarch standing, in the attitude of submit the Privilege of the Union which he holds in his right hand, while he bends his left hand towards his chest with a solemn gesture. The image stands on a granite pedestal which incorporates a bronze plaque with the coat of arms of Pamplona and a registration in Spanish and Basque relating to the personage and event commemorated.

Francisco López, one of the most genuine representatives of contemporary Spanish sculptural realism, creates a figurative work inspired by the Gothic tomb of Charles III in Pamplona Cathedral, from which he takes specific details such as the features of the face or the fleurs-de-lis that adorn his clothing and crown, with the aim of making him more identifiable and recognisable. purpose . And, at the same time, he uses contrasts of light with great skill to achieve a certain expressiveness through the play of light and shadow, which adds to the technical virtuosity and his skill to model the textures and qualities with absolute verism.