`Apotheosis Of St. Louis` By Charles Henry Niehaus Stock Image

Pictured is the `Apotheosis of St. Louis` a statue of King Louis IX of France, namesake of Saint Louis, Missouri, located in front of the Art Museum in Forest Park. The statue was the principal symbol of the city between its erection in 1906 and the construction of the Gateway Arch in the mid-1960s. The original plaster sculpture was the work of Charles Henry Niehaus for the World`s Fair in 1904. A bronze was cast by W.R. Hodge and unveiled in 1906. The colorful mask coronavirus protection mask is decorated with the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of the French monarchy.