Chimera of Arezzo

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‘Chimera of Arezzo’
National Archaeological Museum
Piazza Santissima Annunziata
Florence, January 2025

“The Chimera of Arezzo is regarded as the best example of ancient Etruscan art. The British art historian David Ekserdjian described the sculpture as ‘one of the most arresting of all animal sculptures and the supreme masterpiece of Etruscan bronze-casting’. Made entirely of bronze and measuring 78.5 cm high with a length of 129 cm, it was found alongside a small collection of other bronze statues in Arezzo, an ancient Etruscan and Roman city in Tuscany. The statue was originally part of a larger sculptural group representing a fight between a chimera and the Greek hero Bellerophon. This sculpture is likely to have been created as a votive offering to the Etruscan god Tinia and is held by the National Archaeological Museum, Florence.” (Chimera of Arezzo, Wikipedia)

A la mujer cordobesa

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Monumento a la mujer cordobesa by José Manuel Belmonte Cortés, 2003
Plaza de Colón
Córdoba, September 2022

“The ‘Monumento a la belleza de la mujer cordobesa’ (Monument to the Beauty of Cordoban Women) is located next to the Merced Gardens, in the Plaza de Colón in the city of Córdoba, province of Córdoba. The work was inaugurated on April 29, 2003, and is the creation of sculptor José Manuel Belmonte Cortés. It stands as a tribute to the women of Córdoba, highlighting their elegance and the symbolism of the city's ancient traditions. The sculpture was conceived to highlight the connection with Córdoba's culture and heritage. The bronze monument depicts two Cordoban women standing on either side of a fountain. One of the figures holds a pitcher on her hip, while the other extends her hand toward the water, the pitcher at her side. Both women wear traditional Cordoban buns and combs, evoking a time of refined beauty. The work is notable for its realism and the detail in their hairstyles and traditional costumes.” (Fuente Monumento a la belleza de la mujer cordobesa, MonumentalNet)

Arche scaligere

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Arche scaligere (Scaliger Tombs)
Via Santa Maria Antica
Verona, May 2025

“The Scaliger Tombs (Italian: Arche scaligere) is a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in Verona, Italy, celebrating the Scaliger family, who ruled in Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century. The tombs are located in a court outside the church of Santa Maria Antica, separated from the street by a wall with iron grilles. Built in Gothic style, they are a series of tombs, mostly freestanding open tabernacle-like structures rising high above the ground, with a sarcophagus surmounted by an elaborate baldachin, topped by a statue of the deceased, mounted and wearing armour. According to the French historian Georges Duby, they are one of the most outstanding examples of Gothic art.” (Scaliger Tombs, Wikipedia)

Juan Pablo II

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Monumento a Juan Pablo II by Juan Manuel Miñarro, 2012
Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, Casco Antiguo
Seville, September 2022

“The monument to John Paul II is a bronze statue on a pedestal located in the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. The monument represents a gesture from the city to John Paul II, who visited Seville in 1982, for the beatification of Angela de la Cruz, and in 1993, when he closed the XLV International Eucharistic Congress. The monument was designed in 2006 by the Association for the Promotion of John Paul II. It was built and displayed at the Cajasol Center in Plaza San Francisco. Various locations were considered for its placement: Plaza de la Contratación, Puerta de Jerez, and Adolfo Rodríguez Jurado Street. Finally, it was agreed to place it in Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, near Seville Cathedral and opposite the Archbishop's Palace. The statue stands on a marble pedestal with a plaque. It was inaugurated in 2012 in the presence of the mayor, Juan Ignacio Zoido, and the archbishop, Juan José Asenjo.” (Monumento a Juan Pablo II, Wikipedia)

Palazzo Sesso Zen

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Palazzo Sesso Zen
Contra' Zanella
Vicenza, May 2025

“Palazzo Sesso Zen is a 13th-century noble palace located in Vicenza, in contrà Giacomo Zanella nº 1, built in Venetian Gothic style. The building is classified as a work of art of real estate type, architecture A. Initially owned by the Lanzade family, the palace had a tower, signs of which are still evident today. It was brought as a dowry by Chiara di Lanzè, who married Palmiero Sesso, podestà of Vicenza in 1341. The palace bears traces of past constructions dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The main door does not date back to before 1460, while the construction differences between the second floor and the other two are evident. In fact, the walls of the second floor were built in local stone, while for the other two the warm red marble of Verona was used. Also on the second floor, a marked lack of construction can be noted from the mouldings of the capitals. It is probable that the latter had never been built for residential use and that it was constructed no earlier than the 17th century.” (Palazzo Sesso Zen, Wikipedia)

Francisco Pizarro

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Francisco Pizarro by Pío Mollar Franch, 1930
Plaza de Manises
Valencia, September 2022

“An ornamental element located within the current plaza and created in homage to the Spanish people. A small fenced garden defines the quadrangular setting, which houses a recent stone pedestal from which emerges a slender Doric column (from the former Provincial Hospital). At the end of this rises a bronze statue (carved by Pío Mollar Franch ) representing the conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The complex, designed by municipal architect Emilio Rieta, was inaugurated on July 14, 1969.” (Plaza de Manises, Wikipedia)

Church of the Zitelle Gasparine

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Church of the Zitelle Gasparine
Via Ospedale Civile
Padua, May 2025

“In 1598, the Paduan nobleman Francesco Gasparini, together with his wife Giuliana and daughter Virginia, willed a place ‘in the style of a monastery’ to house poor girls. It was called the Zitelle Gasparine, to distinguish it from the Zitelle del Vescovo, an institution with a similar purpose established by the Bishop of Padua Marco Cornaro in the same years. The building was constructed in the Pozzo della Vacca district (which would later become the Zitelle district, from the name of the institution), on Gasparini's property. A church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was annexed to it, on the façade of which is a plaque commemorating the founder. Currently, the church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, known as ‘delle Zitelle Gasparine’, is all that remains of the ancient complex: owned by the Padua University Hospital, this deconsecrated church has a rectangular plan with a single nave and a low barrel vault. The now bare polychrome marble altar is original from the period, as are the painted images.” (Chiesa delle Zitelle Gasparine, ArtBonus)