You can now have a small reminder of this sculpture that once stood tall on Monument Avenue. The Lee Monument wasn’t just stone and bronze — to many, it represented valor, sacrifice, loyalty and a complicated legacy worth remembering, not erasing.
 
"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know where it is today."
 
-General Robert E. Lee.
 
This faithful recreation of the iconic Lee Monument is the perfect display piece for any Virginia history buff or proud Southerner. With a reduced version of the grand pedestal on which the sculpture stood, this model is perfect for display on a bookshelf, mantle, or even display cabinet, while still capturing the essence of the full monument . 
 
Hand crafted in Lee's home state of Virginia, each model is delicately assembled and painted with attention to every detail. The model was created referencing 3D scans of the original monument, as well as photographs and references of General Lee's uniform. Although they are made of plastic, the appearance of the models does justice to the magnificent polished bronze and marble of the original, with a very nice sheen that reveals the details of the sculpture from many different angles.
 
Sculpted by French Artist Antonin Mercié, the Lee Monument stood at almost sixty feet tall in the heart of Richmond, and was the first among many memorials of Confederate leaders to be erected along the world-famous Monument Avenue. Originally in the middle of a tobacco field, the location of the monument was said to have been placed where General Lee himself dismounted from his horse during a visit to Richmond in 1861. Symbolically facing north, the statue represented not only the valor and leadership of General Lee himself, but also the resilience and perseverance of the south. 
 
The monument was unveiled in 1896 to a crowd of some 100,000 people, including thousands of veterans from both sides of the War Between States. It was instantly an iconic and recognizeable symbol- both in its scale and design, with its silhouette being a defining piece of advertising for the city of Richmond for decades. The site of the statue continued to be a place of memorials and commemorations for confederate veterans, including parades and ceremonies for Lee-Jackson Day as well as Confederate Memorial Day. 
 
In 2006, the monument was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register, and it was added to the National Register for Historic Places in 2007. It was unceremoniously removed in 2021 by an order under "emergency powers" by Virginia governor Ralph Northam and Richmond mayor Levar Stoney. It was fully dismantled in 2022 at the cost of approximately $2 million dollars of taxpayer money. Following its removal, a time capsule was discovered that included many items from the time which the monument was constructed. 
 
Although the original may be absent from its place, there are several ongoing efforts to replace and rebuild the monument at a different location in Virginia. During this time of rebuilding, you can still remember the original with this small piece of Virginia history.