Palace of Fomento
Ministry of Acriculture Building
Madrid Spain
2008

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Agriculture_(Spain)

The Palace of Fomento, also known as the Ministry of Agriculture Building, is a nineteenth-century office building in Madrid, Spain. Designed by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, and built between 1893 and 1897, it is on a prominent site opposite Atocha railway station.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_Fomento

In 1905, a group of marble sculptures by Agustí Querol Subirats entitled La Gloria y los Pegasos was placed on top of the building. The damage suffered during the Civil War and the inclement weather suffered over time deteriorated the sculptures, which were replaced by bronze replicas in 1976.

It was put on Spain's national heritage register in 1989 under the name Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food). It is classed as a Bien de Interés Cultural or Property of Cultural Interest.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Gloria_y_los_Pegasos

La Gloria y los Pegasos is amonumental allegorical sculptural ensemble, the work of Agustín Querol from 1905 , of which there are currently two versions in Madrid ( Spain ): a bronze copy , enshrining the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture , and the original group , in marble , in the Plaza de Legazpi and the Glorieta de Cádiz.

Querol designed a work based on elements of classical mythology to reflect a global vision of Progress (the fundamental allegorical idea), both in its material, intellectual and spiritual aspects. The set is divided into three parts that are in turn groups of three symbolic figures each, whose union creates a particular meaning.

Taking the positions of these groups in the Ministry as a reference, the one located to the left of La Gloria symbolizes material progress. A female figure ( Agriculture ) carries a plow in her right hand while with the other she takes the reins of the Pegasus (symbol of speed), which appears resting on its hind legs and in the act of taking flight. On it is mounted a male figure ( Industry ) who extends his left arm displaying a caduceus (an attribute of Mercury , the Roman god associated with commerce ). Under the winged horse, a sheaf of wheat and two cogwheels can be seen., in clear allusion to agriculture and industry respectively. It should also be added, in relation to trade, that the figure of Pegasus appears on the coins minted by some ancient Greek cities , especially Corinth and the Hellenic colonies (such as Ampurias ) of the Iberian Peninsula.

At the other extreme, and following a structure analogous to the previous one, is the allegory of intellectual and literary progress. It is also here a female figure (in this case Literature ) that is standing next to Pegasus (which is also a symbol of Poetry) on the outside. In her left hand she holds a lyre , a representative object of Poetry. On the horse, which is presented in a position very similar to the previous case, a male figure (Wisdom ) raises his right arm grasping a laurel branch , the sacred tree of Apollo , the classical god of knowledge.