Statue of Las Casas in the Twelve Illustrious Sevillians gallery

What it is

This is a photograph of a stone statue of a robed friar holding a book, with a small child standing against his side. It stands on a balcony ledge of an ochre building, and the plinth reads 'DE BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS'. A wrought-iron balcony railing is at the right. The photo was taken on 18 June 2014 by Carlos V de Habsburgo and shows the statue in the Galería de Doce Sevillanos Ilustres at the Palacio de San Telmo in Seville.

The statue is a later work, made long after Las Casas's lifetime, so it shows how he was remembered in Seville rather than how he looked.

Why it matters

The gallery honours twelve notable people connected with Seville. Placing Las Casas among them shows that his reputation as a defender of Indigenous peoples was still valued centuries after his death.

Look closer

• Why might the sculptor have shown Las Casas holding a book, and what does that suggest about how he is remembered?
• Why is a child shown beside him, and what might that choice say about the message of the statue?
• Who chose to honour Las Casas in this gallery, and what might they have left out?