Museums: Palazzo Vecchio--The Chimera of Arrezo

Like most regions around the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian peninsula has a very long and varied history.  Going back in time, about 2,500 years ago, the Etruscan people dominated what is now central Italy.  The Etruscans had a well-developed civilization and many of their settlements are the modern towns and cities of Tuscany.

One of those ancient Etruscan towns is modern day Arezzo, not far from Florence.  In 1553, workers digging trenches unearthed a buried treasure.  It was a Etruscan bronze statue resembling a lion with a snake for a tail.  The statue is about the size of a large dog and became known as the Chimera of Arezzo.  It is believed the Chimera was created around 400 B.C. and was an offering to the supreme Etruscan god.  The statue (pictured below) is considered one of the best examples of Etruscan art unearthed so far.

The Chimera is a terrifying creature from ancient Greek mythology:  The Chimera, the demon spawn of other monsters, was a fire breathing terror in the ancient land of Lycia.  Enter the hero Bellerophon riding atop the winged Pegasus. Bellerophon first wounded the Chimera and the head of a goat sprouted where the Chimera was wounded.  Bellerophon eventually killed the murderous Chimera.

After being unearthed, the statue was brought to Tuscany's capital Florence and presented to Cosimo I de'Medici, Duke of Tuscany.  The Chimera di Arezzo has called Florence home ever since.  For the recent G7 of Culture meeting in Florence, it was relocated to the Palazzo Vecchio for viewing by the visiting ministers of culture. 

While touring the Palazzo Vecchio recently, we had the opportunity to see it. 

A more recent interpretation of the Chimera legend is a 20th century bronze by Italian sculptor Arturo Martini, pictured below.  This Chimera has no goat head. So, perhaps Martini's Chimera is depicted before being wounded by Bellerophon. 

(On display at Museo Novecento, Florence)

Martini said the inspiration for his sculpture was the Etruscan Chimera di Arezzo.  Martini declared, "I am the true Etruscan they gave me the language and I gave them voice to speak. I expressed them. I could have created thousands of statues, made just as they would have imagined them."

P.S.  If you see a real Chimera, run away unless you happen to be riding your winged horse.