Monumento ao Conde de Porto Alegre, Skulptur in Brasilien

The Monumento ao Conde de Porto Alegre is a life-size marble statue of Manuel Marques de Sousa in gala military uniform, his hat in his right hand and gloves in his left, perhaps alluding to his nickname Centauro de Luvas. The figure leans against a small plinth behind his left leg and stands on a tall granite pedestal made in Rio de Janeiro, with a marble plaque bearing his coat of arms and title.

The monument was first erected in 1885 at Praça da Matriz, in front of the government palace, after a public competition won by Gustavo Saenger in 1878 but later abandoned. The executed work was entrusted to Adriano Pittanti's workshop. In 1912, mayor José Montaury moved it to the square renamed Praça Conde de Porto Alegre. It honors Manuel Marques de Sousa, Count of Porto Alegre, a veteran of the Cisplatine War, the Farroupilha Revolution and the Paraguayan War.

The Conde de Porto Alegre was a 19th-century military and political leader whose legacy remains visible in the city through this public monument. The figure is shown in full military dress, reflecting his role as a defender of the Brazilian monarchy and his importance to local identity.

The monument is located at Praça Conde de Porto Alegre in the city center and is an easy stop when walking through historic areas. The site is publicly accessible at any time and requires no special preparation for a visit.

The statue was modeled by sculptor Carlo Fossati, yet for many years Adriano Pittanti was credited as the artist until a 1956 testimony revealed the true creator. This hidden history of artistic recognition shows how the contributions of craftspeople were sometimes overlooked in the historical record.