{"id":104838,"date":"2021-01-18T10:48:02","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T09:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.artsupp.com\/the-winged-victory-of-brescia\/"},"modified":"2021-01-18T10:48:02","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T09:48:02","slug":"the-winged-victory-of-brescia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.artsupp.com\/en\/the-winged-victory-of-brescia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Winged Victory of Brescia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe greatest and most beautiful of all bronze statues\u201d (Antoine-Claude Pasquin \u2013Valery-) 1827<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The statue of the Winged Victory of Brescia<\/strong> is one of the most extraordinary bronzes from the Roman era that has survived to this day, a symbol and witness to the very history of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE HISTORY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was in 1826 when it was discovered in a cavity of the Capitol temple of ancient Brixia<\/a><\/em> (the Latin name for Brescia), following archaeological excavations conducted by the learned members of the Ateneo di Scienze, Lettere e Arti di Brescia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a0Capitolium, Archaeological Park of Roman Brescia<\/em>. Fotostudio Rapuzzi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The statue lay alongside about eighty worked bronze frames, five heads of Roman emperors, a female portrait, a gilded bronze applique depicting a prisoner, the breastplate of an equestrian statue, and numerous other bronze fragments, now displayed at the Museum of Santa Giulia and the Capitolium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notables and men of science attended the event, and as news of the discovery spread, many people began to gather. On July 22, amidst the streets of the city, while the bells rang in celebration, an unusual and festive procession paraded: amidst cheering crowds, the Podest\u00e0 led the cart with the statue of Victory displayed upright, followed by the military band and the authorities of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bronze depicts a winged female figure, just under two meters tall (194 cm), with a posture now incomplete due to the loss of some elements that completed its gesture and position of balance; the left foot was likely resting on the helmet of Mars, the left arm was supposed to hold a shield, also supported by the bent leg, on which the deity had inscribed the name of the victor with a stylus, entrusting it to the bronze and offering it to the view of those who looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Winged Victory for the new Capitolium<\/em>. Fotostudio Rapuzzi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The great bronze statue soon rose to international prominence: beloved by Giosu\u00e8 Carducci, who celebrated it in the ode To Victory<\/em>, admired by Gabriele D\u2019Annunzio and Napoleon III, who wanted a copy, the Winged Victory is, in terms of composition, material, and preservation, one of the most important sculptures of Romanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creation of the Winged Victory \u2013 we now know \u2013 can be dated to the mid-1st century AD and is attributed to a high-level atelier<\/em>, which managed to create a new and original sculptural model. The technique used is that of lost-wax casting, which requires great skill and technological capability. It may have been a gift from the imperial house to Brixia<\/a><\/em> for the support given in a military event, perhaps the clashes of AD 69 that took place between Brixia<\/em><\/a> and Cremona, among the armies of Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian, which led the latter to command the empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT PROJECT<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n