All in a day’s work

Here's a bit of photo fun: an unusual angle for the 1916 equestrian sculpture by Riccardo Ripamonti of Giuseppe Missori, a Bolognese, who adopted Milan as his home town, before and after his active participation, alongside Garibaldi, in the wars resulting in the mid 19th century successful Unification of Italy...More......Missori, who died quite advanced in years in 1911, is commemorated in this sculpture that keeps piquing curiosity because of the strong contrast between his proud bearing and the exhausted state of his poor horse.

Cristina Beltrami, an art historian, notes in her blog "Due Secoli di Scultura" (http://www.duesecolidiscultura.it/monumento-a-giuseppe-missori-%E2%80%93-riccardo-ripamonti/) that the horse bears a strong resemblance to one produced by Ripamonti for a Waterloo monument in 1906, though that still begs the question of why such a model--even one easily at hand--was chosen for monument so important when it was produced with money publicly collected beginning in 1914.

I think the answer is to be found in Missori's own profound disappointment in the outcome of the wars for liberation from the Austrian empire, not because they succeeded, of course, but for the form the government of Italy took afterwards.

A proud freedom fighter, Missori, like Mazzini, wanted a republican government, and was quite unhappy that a monarchy was set up, instead.

I think the contrast of pride in contribution to a successful worthy cause and extreme disappointment in the later form of that cause is the reason for the great contrast between the fiercely proud rider and his worn out and depressed horse.

The sculpture depicting Giuseppe Missori is found in Piazza Missori. That sounds logical, but is more surprising than it sounds. Though the sculpture to Cavour is found in Piazza Cavour, and the sculpture of Beccaria is located in Piazza Beccaria, the sculpture to Garibaldi is in a piazza dedicated to General Luigi Cadorna, the sculpture of Abbot Parini is in Piazza Cordusio, the sculpture of Cattaneo is at the corner of the streets dedicated to Tommaso Grossi and St. Margaret....

I shot this photo on the 30th of April, 2009, at 3 P.M.