Following a competition, the announcement of which was published in September of the following year, and in which many artists participated (for a total of 48 sketches), the work of the Roman sculptor Ettore Ferrari was chosen.

However, the temporary location of the monument was considered out of context and it was decided to install it in front of the luxury hotels of Riva degli Schiavoni, near the stop of the vaporetto "San Zaccaria", where it is still today.

[3] The equestrian statue, cast by Alessandro Nelli,[4] is placed on top of a base in pink Baveno granite and stone of Istria and depicts Vittorio Emanuele II on horseback with a drawn sword in his hand, while inciting battle.

[3] On the back there is the seated female figure of "Subjugated Venice", battered and prisoner following the defeat suffered by the young Republic of San Marco (1848–1849), holding a broken sword and at the feet a Marcian lion biting the chains imposed by Austria.

On the front, there is the personification of "Venice triumphant", this time proud of its regained freedom, with its left arm stretched forward and a sword at rest in its right hand, flanked by a roaring Marcian lion who, while tears up the treaty of Vienna of 1815, places its left forepaw on a plaque with the electoral results of the plebiscite of the Veneto of 1866 (641,758 votes for yes and 69 votes for no), placed in turn on the book with the traditional inscription "Pax Tibi Marce/Evangelista Meus".