Neptune

From the earliest times, humans have been awed by the power of the sea and early civilizations declared it the domain of a major mythological deity, the god of the sea: to the Greeks, Poseidon; to the Romans, Neptune. This bronze statue was cast by the traditional old lost wax process in Ningbo, China. It is 34 feet high, with heads 6 1/2 feet, shoulders 12 feet across, dolphins 17 feet and 15 feet, a loggerhead turtle 11 feet, an octopus 8 feet, and rocks weighing 100,000 pounds. The casting process required 88 1/2 tons of bronze, 80 tons of clay, 7,500 grinding and sanding disks, 25 tons of plaster, and 3 1/2 tons of stainless steel. A national search for the artist resulted in the selection of Paul DiPasquale of Richmond, Virginia. Neptune stands as the protector of citizen and visitor and symbolizes the City of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival, held annually in September.

Virginia Beach, Virginia · United States