The Quadriga of Liberty by Luigi Bartolini, 1927
Victor Emmanuel II Monument
Piazza Venezia
Rome, June 2019
“At 11 metres tall, the Quadriga soars over the western propylaeum of the monument, its silhouette, inspired by ancient Greek models, stands out against the Roman sky. The Quadriga of Liberty, which is over 11 metres tall, was made of bronze by the Roman sculptor Paolo Bartolini. After winning the special competition in 1907, Bartolini began working on the piece in 1909. However, final delivery and assembly of the work of art were not completed until 1927. Liberty is represented as a Victory with outstretched wings, her head surrounded by a band, known as a taenia, with a laurel wreath in one hand and a spear in the other; she is standing on a wagon pulled by four majestic horses. The model for the female figure is the Lemnian Athena, which, since antiquity, has been considered the masterpiece of the great Greek sculptor Fidia: Bartolini was able to study it closely through a cast of the preserved copy in Dresden.” (The Quadriga of Liberty, Vittoriano)
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