David of Sassoun (statue)

David of Sassoun^[b] (Armenian: «Սասունցի Դավիթ») is a copper equestrian statue depicting David of Sassoun (Sasuntsi Davit’) in Yerevan, Armenia. Erected by the sculptor and artist Yervand Kochar in 1959, it depicts the protagonist of the Armenian national epic Daredevils of Sassoun. It is placed on a rock-like basalt pedestal in the middle of a large square in front of Yerevan's main railway station.

David of Sassoun

40.155296°N 44.509418°E / 40.155296; 44.509418
Location	David of Sassoun Square,[a] Erebuni District, Yerevan, Armenia[1]
Designer	Yervand Kochar
Material	Copper (sculpture) Basalt (base)
Height	sculpture: 6.5 m (21 ft) base: 5 m (16 ft) total: 11.5 m (38 ft)[2]
Weight	3.5 tonnes (7,700 lb)[3]
Opening date	December 3, 1959[2]
Dedicated to	David of Sassoun

History

Background

The David of Sassoun statue was first conceived prior to the 1000th-anniversary celebrations of the epic in Soviet Armenia in 1939. Yervand Kochar, the most prominent artist to move to Soviet Armenia from abroad (in 1936),^[4] was commissioned to produce the sculpture. It was made of gypsum, and was reportedly finished in 18 days ^[5] (other sources state Kochar spent up to three months on the project).^[6] In the same year, he created six illustrations for the Russian-language academic publication of the epic.^[7][8] It was the first equestrian monument erected in modern Armenia.^[9]

Kochar's statue was unveiled in mid-September 1939 in the square in front of the Yerevan Railway Station. it was positioned there so as to greet city visitors, the majority of whom during this period arrived by train.^[10] The 3 m-tall (9.8 ft) sculpture was on a 7 m-tall (23 ft) rectangular pedestal.^[6]

The statue was destroyed days after Kochar was arrested on 23 June 1941,^[3] for "anti-Soviet agitation",^[5] and only survives in photographs.^[6] Kochar was released in August 1943 through the intervention of Anastas Mikoyan, a senior Soviet official and former classmate at the Nersisian Seminary.^[4][3][11]

Current statue

In 1957, on the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution, the Communist authorities decided to restore the statue.^[12] Kochar recreated it, with significant changes from the initial version, which notably included an old Arab man besides David. The restored (current) statue was inaugurated on December 3, 1959.^[13][14] The opening ceremony attracted a large crowd despite the cold weather,^[15][16] including many Armenians hailing from Sasun.^[17] The opening ceremony was officiated by Yerevan Mayor Gurgen Pahlevanian [hy; ru],^[2][15] but no senior official from the local Communist Party attended.^[17][3][c] It featured several speakers, including literary scholar and writer Gevorg Abov [hy; ru], sculptor Grigor Aharonian [hy; ru], a factory lathe operator, and a ninth grade student.^[2] Actor Zhan Eloyan [hy; ru] recited an excerpt from the epic.^[2][18] Khachikian, who witnessed its opening, said there was much enthusiasm and jubilation among the crowd.^[16]

It was erected during a period of an Armenian nationalist resurgence amid the Khrushchev Thaw.^[19] Adam T. Smith argued that David, along with the contemporary statue of Mesrop Mashtots (1962), in front of the Matenadaran, "commemorates the achievements of a specifically national hero—a hero of Armenia, not Soviet Armenia", while earlier statues in Yerevan commemorated Soviet and Bolshevik leaders.^[20] Taline Ter Minassian suggested that it highlights the "exact limits of national expression in the post-Stalinist era."^[21] Art critic Hrach Bayadyan noted that the statue, along with the genocide memorial, erected in 1965–67, "played a principal role in the symbolic construction of Soviet (Eastern) Armenian identity, connoting the nation's tragedy and rebirth, as well as its longevity and struggle against foreign rule."^[22]

Restoration

In the post-Soviet period, the statue deteriorated and the sculpture reportedly began to sway from strong winds.^[3][d] The "cup of patience", at the feet of the horse, was repeatedly stolen․^[23] The statue underwent general restoration in 2011, funded by Ruben Vardanyan.^[17] The pool around the statue was also restored.^[24]:18 However, in 2012 several sculptors said the statue needed further restoration.^[25]

Description and symbolism

A closeup view of David and his "fiery colt"

A closeup of David's face

The sculpture is made of wrought copper,^[28][e] measures 6.5 m (21 ft) tall, 9.3 m (31 ft) long and 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) wide,^[26][6] and weights 3.5 tonnes (7,700 lb).^[3] David, with an overly muscular physique,^[31] is mounted on his legendary horse Kurkik Jalali ("fiery colt") and wields his "lightning sword"—Tur ketsaki.^[32]

David's face was modelled after dancer Vanoush Khanamirian, who in the 1950s portrayed David in the ballet Khandut inspired by the epic.^[37] David has a stern head posture with a menacing and calm face.^[38] Hrachia Grigorian noted that "righteous indignation" and "anger, but not malice" are expressed in his face.^[12] Ararat Aghasyan suggested that David's head resembles ancient gods and heroes and "somewhat reminiscent of his biblical namesake carved from marble by Michelangelo".^[39]

David's pants contain cowboy-style chaps, modeled after traditional men's wear from Sasun.^[f][40][31] Kochar explained the large size of the horse's tail and the lack of reins and bit with its anthropomorphic and supernatural qualities as narrated in the epic.^[2]

Simyan argues that although David is depicted in a battle scene against Msra Melik ("King of Egypt"), the lack of an enemy in the sculpture leaves an uninitiated viewer open to "choosing" an enemy of the Armenian people. He argues that the sculpture thus functions on a timeless level.^[41] Simyan suggests that Kochar's sculpture is independent of the epic.^[42] Earl R. Anderson argued that the statue "symbolizes traditional Armenian resistance to world-kingship as evil."^[43]

Base and pool

The statue stands on a 5 m (16 ft) tall base, bringing the total height to 11.5 m (38 ft).^[2][g] It is supported by three points: the horse's two hind legs and the tail.^[44][12][3] Kochar explained that the proportion was deliberately chosen as raising the base would have disrupted the ensemble of the monument and the trail station building.^[2][h] It is placed at the center of a round reflecting pool with a diameter of 25 m (82 ft).^[14] The base, made of large blocks of rough grey basalt,^[46] was designed by the architect Mikayel Mazmanian, although Kochar conceived the idea of a pedestal from natural rock.^[38] It is meant to reflect the landscape of Armenia, especially the rugged terrain of the Sasun region.^[38]

The water and the round shape of the pool, from which the epic hero rises, symbolize the idea of eternity.^[47] At the horse's feet, Kochar placed a bowl (or cup), from which water constantly flows, reflecting the naturalness of the pedestal. A transitional element between the statue and the pedestal,^[48] the bowl is also visualization of the Armenian expression "filling the bowl of patience"^[i] and a free interpretation of the epic.^[49][50][32] Kochar likened the pool to a "sea of tears" of the Armenian people.^[2] Water, Kochar argued, is not a decorative element, but a necessary component to express the content of the epic.^[2][j]

Reception

The statue with the train station

A night view

The statue, which earned him a State Prize of the Armenian SSR in 1967,^[51] is widely considered Kochar's best-known and most important work.^[55] A Communist magazine declared it Kochar's "great triumph", which once again came to prove the "invincible power of the great art of socialist realism."^[12] Weeks after it was unveiled, that the statue had "received widespread public acceptance" by locals and guests alike.^[12] Taking photos with the statue has become a tradition for visitors.^[56] Described as Armenia's "most famous contemporary monument",^[57] it has acquired an iconic status,^[58][59] and has become a symbol of Yerevan.^[62]

It has also been widely admired by visitors and critics and often called as a masterpiece.^[k] Artists and scholars have broadly applauded its artistic merit.^[l] Lev Kerbel called the "majestic" statue a "significant achievement" of Soviet visual arts.^[73] Leonid Volynsky described it as the "best equestrian statue erected in [the territory of the Soviet Union] in a century, and perhaps even more" and called it "full of expressiveness, of 'Michelangelesque' irregularities".^[40] Jean Carzou remarked that such a fine equestrian statue had not been created in Europe in 300 years.^[74] Lado Gudiashvili found it to be "the best work of contemporary sculpture".^[66][m]

Vasily Grossman wrote that he was "struck by the power" of the "magnificent" statue, noting that it is "full of movement and strength."^[30] Rouben Paul Adalian noted that the "dynamic and forceful" statue is "such a compelling work of sculpture that the image became an emblematic portrait" of Soviet Armenia.^[77] David Marshall Lang called it a "spirited masterpiece" and a "fitting symbol of Armenia's national renaissance, and her age long defiance of her foes."^[63] An American scientific delegation found it "remarkably powerful".^[78][n] James R. Russell suggested that it is "perhaps the most widely-recognized emblem of Armenia" along with Mount Ararat.^[80][o]

Georgi Kublitsky and Zori Balayan noted that it powerfully reflects the "Armenian spirit."^[50][72] Art critic Hernik Igityan argued that it is "not a monument to any individual or event, but to an entire nation" and "embodies the best qualities of the Armenian people."^[81] Igityan wrote that it is dear to the heart of Armenians as the Renaissance statues of Verrocchio and Donatello are to Italy or Falconet's Bronze Horseman (1782) is to Russia.^[81] Yakov Khachikian called it an "unparalleled specimen" of Armenian sculpture, admired its richness in expression, dynamism, and power, and compared favorably to the Bronze Horseman in Saint Petersburg.^[16][p] Aleksandr Dymshits wrote that David, along with Kochar's another Yerevan statue, that of Vardan Mamikonian, is "epically grand and at the same time full of drama, movement, impulse, and passion."^[64] Nikolai Mikhailov admired how it captures impetuousness like nowhere else.^[83]

Proposals to relocate

A side view

As early as 1998 Armen Shekoyan proposed moving the statue to Republic Square,^[60] where the statue of Vladimir Lenin used to stand before it was taken down in 1991.^[84][85] Shekoyan argued that it would fit nicely in Yerevan's central square and be more cost-effective than commissioning a new one. He emphasized that, unlike its current location—now just an ordinary residential area due to the decline in train arrivals—the statue would become a focal point, visible to all visitors. He also claimed that Kochar had privately envisioned the statue in what was then Lenin Square.^[60] Kochar’s son, Haykaz, reportedly said that placing the statue in Republic Square had been his father’s dream.^[86] Supporters of the idea often argued that its current setting no longer fits its original and the statue no longer greets visitors.^[86]

When the proposal was made at a 2006 competition, Mkrtich Minasyan, head of Armenia's Union of Architects, called the proposal reasonable, but opined that statue's proportions are small for the square and warned that it may be damaged while moving.^[87][88] One proponent, architect Garri Rashidyan, wrote in his 2007 book that it may be the "best solution for replacing Lenin as the central and focal point of the most important square of our republic."^[85] In 2013 Diana Ter-Ghazaryan noted that David of Sassoun would be a safe choice because of the epic hero's fundamentally apolitical nature and his statue at Yerevan's central square would be acceptable to most Armenians, but considered the relocation unlikely.^[85]

Cultural depictions

The statue on a 1968 Soviet stamp

• The film studio Hayfilm (formerly Armenfilm) uses the statue as its logo.

Stamps and currency

• It appeared on a 1968 and 1990 Soviet stamps and a 1991 Soviet commemorative coin.
• The statue appeared on the obverse of 10 Armenian dram banknotes of the first series (1993–1998) and an uncirculated 1994 silver commemorative coin.^[89] A 2009 stamp commemorated its 50th anniversary.^[90]
• Yerevan Metro tokens depict the statue.

Film

• The statue is featured in the 1987 Soviet Armenian film The Road to Sasuntsi Davit [hy].

Literature

• In his 1983 essay collection entitled Nor Hayastan, nor Hayer (New Armenia, New Armenians), Antranig Dzarugian writes that Armenian national symbols became real, in concrete and bronze, in Lenin's Armenia, including the statue of David of Sasun.^[91]
• It is mentioned in the poem "Statues of Haig" by Diana Der Hovanessian included in the collection The Circle Dancers (1996).^[92]

Notes

1. It was formerly known as Կայարանամերձ հրապարակ, Kayaranamerdz hraparak, literally meaning "Station Square".
2. There is no widely accepted spelling of the placename. It was traditionally spelled Sassoun in English, but other spellings also frequently appear, including Sasun, Sasoun, Sasoon, and Sassoon.
3. However the local Communist newspaper said "leading party and Soviet workers" attended it, without providing names.^[2]
4. A 2006 photo shows graffiti on the statue.
5. Some sources incorrectly say bronze.^[29][30]
6. Kochar believed that natives of Sasun wore pants with fringes made from goat hair centuries ago and were later transported by Arab conquerors to North Africa, Spain, and then Latin America.^[2]
7. Kochar said in a 1959 interview that the statue is 6.5 m tall and the base is 5 m tall, totaling 11.5 m,^[2] but some sources indicate its total height as 12.5 m (41 ft).^{[18][6][14][3]}
8. Nona Stepanian argued that its small pedestal set a new trend in statues in Yerevan, where they no longer dominate over people and streets by their formidable height.^[45]
9. Armenian: համբերության բաժակը լցվել
10. Volynsky compared the splash of the stream flowing from the bowl sounds like the voice of a narrator.^[40]
11. It has been called a masterpiece, among others, by David Marshall Lang,^[63] Aleksandr Dymshits,^[64] Murad Hasratyan,^[65] Lado Gudiashvili,^[66] Yakov Khachikian.^[16]
12. Visitors and critics have described it as "beautiful",^[67] "splendid",^[59] "beautiful and spirited",^[68] "splendid equestrian statue [...] will impress art lovers,"^[69] "adorns the city",^[70] "very fine equestrian statue",^[32] "magnificent statue",^[71] "brilliantly and ingeniously handled".^[72]
13. Armen Shekoyan opined that it is one of the world's finest equestrian statues.^[60] Literaturnaya Armenia, a magazine of the Writers Union of Armenia, wrote in 1977 that it is "considered by many to be the world's best equestrian sculpture of the past century."^[75] Gavrill Petrosyan, a Soviet Armenian author, wrote in 1981 that "experts reckon that this is the best equestrian statue of the past 100 years."^[76]
14. Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Glenn T. Seaborg, leader of the delegation, wrote that the statue is "remarkable because, despite its large weight, it is supported at only two points."^[79] The statue is, however, supported at three, not two, points.^[12][3]
15. Similarly, Vartoug Basmadjian wrote that the statue "became, after Mount Ararat, the most powerful and popular symbol of Armenia."^[4]
16. Zharkovskaya and Tyukin listed David of Sassoun, along with the Bronze Horseman (1782) and the Vakhtang Gorgasali [ru] (1967) in Tbilisi, all equestrian statues, as having become symbols of their host cities.^[82]

References

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28. ^{[12][26][27][16]}
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37. ^{[33][34][35][36]}
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55. ^[52][53][54]
56. Simyan 2016, p. 89.
57. Hakobyan, Aram (2001). Armenians and the World: Yesterday and Today. Yerevan: Noyan Tapan. p. 143. ISBN 9789993051299.
58. "Death of Varaz Samuelian". Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. November 7, 1995. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023.
59. Baliozian, Ara (1980). The Armenians: Their History and Culture. New York: AGBU Ararat Press. p. 151. ...Yervant Kochar, whose splendid equestrian statue of David of Sassoun in Yerevan has acquired archetypal dimension.
60. Shekoyan, Armen (October 31, 1998). "Հեղափոխություն և Հավատաքննություն 4 [Revolution and Inquisition. Part 4]". Aravot (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2023.
61. Grigorian, Artsvin [in Armenian] (1983). Современная архитектура Армении [Modern Architecture of Armenia] (in Russian). Yerevan: Hayastan. p. 90.
62. ^{[60][45][61][48]}
63. Lang, David Marshall (1980). Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. Allen & Unwin. p. 227. ISBN 9780049560093.
64. Dymshits, Aleksandr (1978). Любовь моя, Армения! [Armenia, My Love!] (in Russian). Yerevan: Sovetakan grogh. p. 159.
65. Hasratyan, Murad (2009). "Արարատ Աղասյան. Հայ կերպարվեստի զարգացման ուղիները XIX-XX դարերում, Երևան, "Ոսկան Երևանցի" հրատ., 2009 [Ararat Aghassyan. The Paths of the Development of Armenian Fine Arts of the 19th–20th Centuries]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (2–3): 274. Archived from the original on 2023-11-22.
66. Zurabian, Telman S. [in Russian] (1981). "Ерванд Кочар [Ervand Kochar]". Волны счастья [Waves of Happiness] (PDF) (in Russian). Yerevan: Sovetakan grogh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-12-05.
67. Narovchatov, Sergey (1972). Атлантида рядом с тобой: Критика, полемика, размышления (in Russian). Sovremennik. p. 81. И прекрасный памятник Давиду Сасунскому в Ереване...
68. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, Journal of the Asiatic Society, 1961, p. 215; also printed in Chatterji, Select Writings, Volume 1, 1978, p. 112
69. Mirzaian, Aramais (1966). Armenians in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Armenian Church, Australia. p. 237. Here the visitors will see the splendid equestrian statue of David of Sassoon, the hero of the national Armenian epic. This is one of the many monuments of Yerevan which will impress art lovers.
70. Mikoyan, Nami [in Russian] (2003). Своими глазами (in Russian). Moscow: Vagrius. p. 82. ISBN 5-98262-002-5. Конный памятник Давиду Сасунскому, заказанный тогда Ерванду Кочару, украшает город до сих пор.
71. Avetisyan, Kamsar [in Armenian] (1979). "Երևանի ընդհանուր նկարագիրը". Հայրենագիտական էտյուդներ (in Armenian). Sovetakan grogh. p. 81. ...հոյակապ արձանը...
72. Balayan, Zori (1988). Дорога (in Russian). Moscow: Sovetsky Pisatel. p. 148.
73. quoted in Armenian in Sargsian, M. S. (1967). "Հուշարձանային քանդակագործությունը Սովետական Հայաստանում [Memorial Sculptures in Soviet Armenia]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian). 2–3: 95–108. (archived)
74. according to Albert Sokhikyan, quoted in "Մաէստրո Քոչարը: հուշերի անդրադարձում [Maesto Kochar: In Reflection of Memories" (compiled by Anatoli Hovhannisyan and Lala Martirosyan-Kochar (2016, Yerevan: Antares), ISBN 978-9939-51-999-9. See post by Ervand Kochar Museum.
75. "His statue of David of Sasun, a hero of Armenian epic tales, adorns the capital of Armenia and is considered by many to be the world's best equestrian sculpture of the past century."; reproduced in English in Sputnik: Digest, 1977, p. 56; in German in Sputnik, August 1977, "Mein Land, Armenien", pp. 56-62
76. Petrosyan, Gavrill (1981). Armenia. Moscow: Novosti Press Agency Publishing House. p. 40.
77. Adalian, Rouben Paul (2010). Historical Dictionary of Armenia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-8108-7450-3.
78. Lewin, Joseph, ed. (1972). "May the Atom ... " A Report of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Delegation to the U.S.S.R., August, 1971. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. p. 103. (archived)
79. Journal of Glenn T. Seaborg: May 1, 1971-November 6, 1971, (Volume 25), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1989, p. 661 "The Monument of David of Sassoun is remarkable because, despite its large weight, it is supported at only two points."
80. Sital, Karapet (2000). The Heroes of Kasht (Kašti Kʿaǰer). Translated by James R. Russell. Caravan Books. p. 34. ISBN 978-0882060996.
81. Igityan, Henrik [in Armenian] (June 1965). "Հուշարձան ժողովրդին [Statue to the People]" (PDF). Sovetakan Hayastan Monthly (in Armenian) (6). Yerevan: Armenian SSR Committee for Cultural Relations with the Armenians Abroad: 16-18. ISSN 0131-6834. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-08-30.
82. Zharkovskaya, O.A.; Tyukin, V.P. (2007). "Первый русский конный монумент: от культуры Востока к восприятию западных форм искусства [The First Russian Equestrian Monument: From Eastern Culture to the Perception of Western Art Forms]". Восток – Запад на берегах Невы [East – West on the Banks of the Neva] (PDF) (in Russian). Saint Petersburg State University. pp. 211–221. ISBN 978-5-8108-0307-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-17.
83. Mikhailov, Nikolai [in Russian] (1983). Panorama of the Soviet Union. Moscow: Progress Publishers. p. 196. Nowhere have I seen impetuousness so well as in this sculpture.
84. Deheryan, Suren (December 5, 2003). "Արքաներ, հերոսնե՞ր, սարե՞ր. ո՞վ կփոխարինի Լենինին հանրապետության հրապարակում". ArmeniaNow. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
85. Ter-Ghazaryan, Diana K. (2013). ""Civilizing the city center": symbolic spaces and narratives of the nation in Yerevan's post-Soviet landscape". Nationalities Papers. 41 (4): 570–589. doi:10.1080/00905992.2013.802766. S2CID 128756570.
86. Yerevantsi, Voskan (July 28, 2014). "Մեր մայրաքաղաքի արձանները – 2 [The Statues of Our Capital - 2]". Aravot (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
87. "Ս.Դանիելյան. "Եթե անհրաժեշտություն առաջանա, կվերաձեւակերպվի Հանրապետության հրապարակում հուշարձանի տեղադրման մրցույթի առաջադրանքը, լրացուցիչ մրցույթ կհայտարարվի"" (in Armenian). Armenpress. 25 November 2006. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
88. "Ո՞վ կփոխարինի Լենինին". Aravot (in Armenian). December 5, 2006. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023.
89. "1994 - David of Sasoun". Central Bank of Armenia. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023.
90. "Monuments of Armenian architecture (V issue). 50th anniversary from the placement of the monument of Davit of Sasun". HayPost. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023.
91. Panossian 2006, pp. 340–341.
92. Der Hovanessian, Diana (1996). The Circle Dancers. Riverdale-on-Hudson, New York: Sheep Meadow Press. pp. 93-94. ISBN 9781878818553.

Bibliography

• Panossian, Razmik (2006). The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231139267.
• Simyan, Tigran (2016). "Визуализация армянского эпоса в городском пространстве (на примере Ерванда Кочара) [Visualization of the Armenian epic in urban space (on the example of Yervand Kochar)]" (PDF). ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics (in Russian). 3 (9). Tomsk State Pedagogical University: 82–96. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-05.
• Aghasyan, Ararat [in Armenian] (1999). Ерванд Кочар [Yervand Kochar] (in Russian). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06.

External links

• "Սասունցի Դավիթի արձանի բացումը, 1959 [Inauguration of David of Sassoun statue, 1959]" (in Armenian). National Archives of Armenia. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2023. (archived video)