The Torch Bearers, Madrid

The Torch Bearers is an aluminum sculpture depicting a mounted figure receiving a torch from another person standing on the ground. The composition includes a horse rendered with detailed anatomical features, creating a scene of symbolic exchange.

American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington created this work in 1955, adding to Madrid's collection of public art. The piece arrived during a period when the city was developing its artistic heritage through new monumental works.

The sculpture represents the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next, with the torches symbolizing how learning travels between people. You can see this message reflected in how students gather around it as part of campus life.

The sculpture is located in Plaza Ramón Y Cajal within the university grounds and is easy to find as a landmark. It is freely accessible and serves students as a natural meeting point for navigation around campus.

The aluminum construction gives this monument a lighter quality than typical bronze equestrian statues found in plazas. This material choice allowed the artist to achieve fine anatomical details that would be harder to capture in traditional casting methods.