LONDON — This might ruffle a few feathers.
A giant blue rooster was unveiled Thursday next to the somber military monuments in London's Trafalgar Square.
German artist Katharina Fritsch's 15-foot (4.7 meter) ultramarine bird, titled "Hahn/Cock," is intended as a playful counterpoint to the statues of martial heroes in the square.
Both ultramarine blue and the rooster are symbols of France, whose defeat by Britain at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 gave the square its name.
"It's a nice humorous side-effect to have something French in a place that celebrates victory over Napoleon," Fritsch told The Guardian newspaper.
Fritsch also said she hoped the double meaning in the work's name would appeal to the British sense of humor.
"I know they like to play games with language," she said.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said it would be a "talking point for Londoners and tourists alike."