Rome October 2007 » MonumentsBridges »  Viewing PulcinoDellaMinerva     [Image 15 of 27]  :: Jump To  
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Comment: In front of the church there is one of the most curious monuments of Rome, the so-called Pulcino della Minerva. It is a statue designed by the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini (and carried out by his pupil Ercole Ferrata in 1667) of an elephant as the supporting base for the Egyptian obelisk found in the Dominicans' garden. It is the shortest of the eleven Egyptian obelisks in Rome and is said to have been one of two obelisks moved from Sais, where they were built during the 589 BC-570 BC reign of a pharaoh identified in different sources as Apries, Waphres, Wahibre or Hophra from the twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt. The two obelisks were brought to Rome by Diocletian, during his reign as emperor from 284 to 305, for placement at the Temple of Isis which stood nearby. The Latin inscription on the base, chosen by the pope who commissioned the sculpture to support the obelisk found on the site, Alexander VII, is said to represent that "...a strong mind is needed to support a solid knowledge". The inspiration for the unusual composition came from Hypnerotomachia Poliphili ("Poliphilo's Dream of the Strife of Love"), an unusual 15th century novel probably by Francesco Colonna. The novel's main character meets an elephant made of stone carrying an obelisk, and the accompanying woodcut illustration in the book is quite similar to Bernini's design for the base for the obelisk. The curious placement of the obelisk through the body of the elephant is identical. The sturdy appearance of the structure earned it the popular nickname of "Porcino" ("Piggy") for a while. The name for the structure eventually changed to Pulcino, the Romanesco (Roman dialect) equivalent of a small or little "chick". This may have been a reference to the comparatively short height of the obelisk or, an obscure reference to the major charity of the Dominicans to assist young women needing dowries, who made a procession in the courtyard every year. The latter were once depicted in a local painting as three tiny figures with the Virgin Mary presenting purses to them.
ViaAppiaAntica_1 * 1536 x 2048 * (563KB)

ViaAppiaAntica_5 * 3072 x 2304 * (1.08MB)

ColumnMarcusAurelius * The Column of Marcus Aurelius, (Latin: Columna Centenaria Divorum Marci et Faustinae), is a Doric column, with a spiral relief, built in honour of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled on Trajan's Column. It still stands on its original site in Rome, in Piazza Colonna before Palazzo Chigi. Because the original dedicatory inscription has been destroyed, it is not known whether it was built during the emperor’s lifetime (on the occasion of the triumph over the Teutons and Sarmatians in the year 176) or after his death in 180; however, an inscription found in the vicinity attests that the column was completed in 193 . The spiral picture relief tells the story of Marcus Aurelius Danubian or Marcomannic wars, waged by him from 166 to his death. The story begins with the army crossing the river Danube, probably at Carnuntum. Because of the height restriction, a Victory separates the accounts of the two expeditions. The exact chronology of the events is disputed, however the latest theory states that the expeditions against the Marcomanni and Quadi in the years 172 and 173 are in the lower half and the successes of the emperor over the Sarmatians in the years 174 and 175 in the upper half. * 1333 x 1999 * (1.95MB)

ColumnMarcusAurelius_2 * 1262 x 1893 * (1.08MB)

CastelSantAngelo * Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Rome, initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building, located in the rione of Borgo, spent over a thousand years as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The angel statue on the top depicts the angel from whom the building derives its name. * 2048 x 1536 * (1.66MB)
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PulcinoDellaMinerva.JPG - 1717 x 2575 - (2.36MB)
10/16/07 1:33 PM
NearQuirinale_1 * 2048 x 1536 * (2.14MB)

PontoFabricio_2 * The Pons Fabricius (Italian: Ponte Fabricio (Fabricius' Bridge) or Ponte Quattro Capi) is the oldest bridge in Rome that is still in use. Built in 62 BC, it spans half of the Tiber River, from the Campus Martius on the east side to Tiber Island in the middle. (The Pons Cestius is west of the island.) Quattro Capi (four heads) refers to the two marble pillars of the two-faced Janus herms on the parapet, which were moved here from the nearby Church of St. Gregory (Monte Savello) in the 14th century. * 3072 x 2304 * (4.03MB)

PontoFabricio_1 * 3072 x 2304 * (3.92MB)

Rome2007 061 * 1536 x 2048 * (2.21MB)

TombOfGaribaldi * Independence War Memorial Independance War Memorial, Janiculum, RomeAnd there's another monument on the Janiculum honoring Italian Patriots: a formal arched memorial with the inscription 'Roma o Morte' (Rome or death) honors the patriots who died in the Italian Independence wars between 1848 and 1870. * 1536 x 2048 * (1.58MB)
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