Undoubtedly the Duomo Cathedral of Milan captures thousands of tourists everyday.
How many of them ever paid attention to the statue above the main entrance?
Doesn’t it remind you of another equally famous statue? If you look carefully you will notice her recemblance with the Statue of Liberty in New York. However, you need to know that the statue in Milan, called “New Law” and realized by Camilo Pachetti, is dated 1810 while the Statue of Libery is dated 1885. Furthermore Duomo statue wear a crown with a 12 rays on its head and according to the original plans the Statue of Liberty in America should have had a crown with 12 rays too.
The Statue of Liberty was realized by the French sculptor and architect Frederick Bartoldi, while the French engineer Alexander Gustav Eiffel took part in the creation of the basement and the structures above it (Mr. Eiffel was also the creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris).
It is not sure where Mr. Bartoldi got his inspiration for the creation of the most famous statue. Historians believe that the birthplace of the Statue of Liberty is not America but Italy and more precisely Florence.
The Statue of Liberty is considered to be a copy of the Florentine statue of Pio Fedi “Freedom of Poetry”, dedicated to the memory of the famous playwright Giovanni Battista Niccolini and installed over his grave in the basilica of St. Cross. Despite some differences in detail and size, the two statues bear a remarkable similarity to the naked eye. Scientists agree that the Statue of Liberty was inspired by the statue of Pio Fedi, moreover Bartoldi has visited Italy many times. According to the archival data, Italian experts found out that Pio Fedi begun to create the statue in 1871, years before Bartoldi’s plan appeared.
The Statue of Freedom of Poetry in Florence and the Statue of Liberty in America:
On the Statue “Freedom of Poetry” a woman wearing a classic dress carries a crown with 8 rays on her head, while on the Statue of Liberty there are seven rays representing seven continents. In the high left hand on the statue of Pio Fedi a woman shows broken chains, while the Statue of Bartoldi has chains at her feet and a torch in her hand. In its right hand the Statue of Liberty holds a book with the date of American Independence (July 4, 1776) while the statue of Pio Fedi has in its right hand a laurel wreath – symbol of poetic glory.
The three Statues of Liberty all have many similarities, don’t they?
The Statue of Liberty in America and the statue of San Carlo in the town of Arona in Italy
Another proof of where Frederick Bartoldi’s ideas came from is the statue of St. Carlo Borromeo in the town of Arona near Lago Maggiore. There is not much information about this monument but it deserves more attention since until the end of the 19th century it was the tallest statue in Europe. The author of the project is Giovanni Battista Crespi.
St. Carlo’s bronze colossus rises 20 meters above its granite pedestal. Its design in such a way that you can rise to the head of the statue and enjoy breathtaking views of the landscapes of Lombardy and Piedmont, to see the emerald green shores of Lake Maggiore and the Borromeo islands.
It is well known that the sculptor-architect of The Statue of Liberty has been to the magnificent lakes of Italy many times and the statue of Saint Carlo was built much earlier, in 1614-1697. Do this two statues have something in common? Judge yourself 🙂
