Yes, he gilded it out of his own pocket because he didn’t like the oxidation on it. I didn’t agree with him on that one.
I always wondered how that had happened - it was nice and greenish when I was growing up. I must say that it gets your attention now, though!
Which brings us to another thing: some of these statues that they are tearing down are really magnificent pieces of monumental art. They will be a great loss to the streetscape.