LONDON — Decades after Melania Trump left the rolling hills of Slovenia and became first lady of the United States, a life-size wooden statue of her has appeared on the banks of a river near her hometown.

Much of the rustic figure, from its shoulders to its fingertips, is painted powder blue, to reflect the cashmere dress and gloves she wore to her husband’s inauguration in 2017.

One arm is raised as if in a wave to Sevnica, her hometown, about five miles upstream. Rising out of a tree trunk laced with ivy, the monument stretches to nine feet tall, towering over visitors.

The statue was commissioned by an American artist, Brad Downey, who said on Saturday that it’s the first monument to Mrs. Trump and a “serious” work of art. But those who saw it when it was inaugurated last Friday gave the work decidedly unkind reviews. “It’s a disgrace,” “It’s a Smurfette” are a few of the comments from residents, according to ITV News.