Monday, April 8, 2013

Vittorio Emanuele II

Vittorio Emanuele II (Victor Emmanuel II) was the first king of a unified Italy. He died in Rome in 1878 and was buried in the Pantheon. Even at the point of death he refused to meet with Pope Pius IX's envoys, who could have reversed his 1860 excommunication. Monuments to the king were soon commissioned in almost every city of the Kingdom.
Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, Monument to Victor Emmanuel II by Ettore Ferrari, Riva degli Schiavoni, Venezia
The monument in Venice, quite incongrously set along the Riva degli Schiavoni, is a work of the sculptor Ettore Ferrari (the same of the Pisan Garibaldi) and was dedicated in 1887.
Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, Monument to Victor Emmanuel II by Enrico Chiaradia, Rome
The equestrian statue in Rome, by the sculptor Enrico Chiaradia, is the heart of the immense “Altare della Patria” (Altar of the Fatherland) dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II and was ready in 1911.
Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, Monument to Victor Emmanuel II by  Augusto Rivalta, Livorno
Our statue, by the sculptor Augusto Rivalta, was placed in 1892 in front of the Cathedral, in the freshly renamed Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (now Piazza Grande). After the war the monument was moved in Piazza Unità d'Italia, in front of the “Palazzo del Governo”.
Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, Monument to Victor Emmanuel II by Cesare Zocchi, Pisa
Our Pisan cousins weren't late this time: a bronze statue by the sculptor Cesare Zocchi was dedicated in 1892, but the Father of the Fatherland was left on foot.

See also: Viva Verdi - Stone, Bronze and Iron - Horseback Thinking
External links: Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (Wikipedia)

14 comments:

  1. Great status beautifully photographed, VP. Fine art.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love these comparisons, VP. A great post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic post. Even great men sometimes walk.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your sentences piqued my interest in the history and I found out how much I had not known about this man and the battles. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Why is Riva degli Schiavoni the wrong place?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sven - In my opinion almost everywhere in Venice is the wrong place for this large and quite bombastic monument: I showed you only the top, but there is a lot of actions also around the plinth...

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love it that you have all these "dudes" everywhere. Must be fun photographing them all.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful details..
    Just looking at the last image, and Cesare Zocchi beautiful coat....

    ReplyDelete
  9. I do like him astride the horse VP, somehow he seems taller :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What an important man, and these sculptures are fabulous!I specially like the second one!
    Hugs
    Léia

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post! The Rome shot is my favourite. Great composition.

    ReplyDelete