The monument to Tsar Alexander I (1777−1825) was unveiled on October 23 (October 11, Old Style), 1831, to commemorate Alexander’s visit to and death from illness in Taganrog, a village in southern Russian located on the north shore of the Sea of Azov. The tsar’s widow, Elizaveta Alekseevna, chose the site for the monument. Most of the money for its construction was donated by the imperial house of Romanov; the rest was raised by the residents of Taganrog. The bronze figure of the emperor at full height is draped with a cloak, covering a general's uniform. He holds the hilt of his sword in his left hand, and a scroll containing a code of laws of the Russian Empire in his right. The eagle at his feet symbolizes Russia’s victory over Napoleon, achieved under his leadership. The monument was destroyed in the 1920s and the sculpture was melted down. For the celebration of the tercentenary of Taganrog, the monument was reconstructed and officially unveiled on September 12, 1998, on the same spot where it had been unveiled in 1831, the former Bank Square (present-day Alexander Square). This ink drawing is the original design of the monument by the sculptor, Ivan Petrovich Martos (1754−1835). The document is preserved in the Russian State Historical Archive.