Monumento A La Diligencia (Stagecoach Monument), Montevideo

Jose Belloni was born in Montevideo in 1882. His parents were from Switzerland and Spain. He took an early interest in art and studied sculpture in Lugano and Munich. Jose Belloni participated in numerous exhibitions throughout Europe. He ultimately returned to Montevideo, where his sculptures created a demand for his works in monuments.

His style was naturalist if mildly heroic. One of his major pieces, La Diligencia, (a Stagecoach) struggling to emerge from a mire, sits on the shore of Miguelete Creek at the entrance to Prado Park. The sculpture was moved from its original location to make way for a viaduct.

The piece is strikingly natural and realistic, with bronze horses dragging the coach up from the mud of the creek while the teamster leads their efforts. A woman clutching an infant sit on the stage bench as the stage struggles to emerge from the deeps.

La Diligencia and the Monument a La Carreta (the Carriage) are two significant works of Belloni that resonate with each other. The Carriage monument is in the Batlle Park. To visit the Diligence may take any one of fifteen different omnibus lines. All roads, it seems, eventually lead to the park.