King Neptune, Bronze statue at Neptune Park, Virginia Beach, United States.
King Neptune is a bronze sculpture at Neptune Park in Virginia Beach that shows the sea god holding his trident on a rocky base. Around the figure, dolphins, fish, and other sea creatures wrap together with the main form, all cast from bronze.
In 2003 the Neptune Festival invited submissions for a statue, and Cameron Kitchin of the Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia Beach asked Paul DiPasquale to submit his clay model. The work was cast in China by Zhang Cong using traditional local methods, then shipped in three pieces. Weak interior supports had to be replaced with a stainless steel frame, requiring a month and a half of welding. It was dedicated to the city on September 30, 2005, during the Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend.
The name honors the Roman god of the sea, while the figure with its trident and ocean creatures greets visitors along the boardwalk. The sculpture now serves as a popular meeting point and photo backdrop right by the Atlantic.
The statue stands at the entrance of Neptune Park, where the Virginia Beach Boardwalk meets 31st Street. The bronze figure rises from a low concrete platform, with the trident held upright in the right hand. Visitors approach on foot along the boardwalk; the surrounding rocks and sea creatures sit below eye level.
The trident's prongs are built from Bionicle toy pieces, a detail DiPasquale has pointed out. The statue also appears in scenes of Pharrell Williams's 2024 documentary Piece by Piece, standing in for his hometown of Virginia Beach.
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