Art@Site www.artatsite.com Francesco Barzaghi Napoleon Bonaparte III
Artist:

Francesco Barzaghi

Title:

Napoleon Bonaparte III

Year:
1881
Adress:
Via Mario Pagano
Website:
www.turismo.milano.it:
The equestrian monument to Napoleon Bonaparte III was created by Francesco Barzaghi in 1881 and celebrates the Emperor’s triumphant entry into Milan in 1859 after the battle of Magenta. The bronze statue of Napoleon is considered to be one of the best works of art by the sculptor and portrays the character greeting the crowd and waving his cap. The sculptured group stands on a base decorated by relief figures representing the battle of Magenta and is situated near Parco Sempione.
The elevation that the statue stands upon is ironically called monte Tordo not to confuse it with the monte Merlo in the middle of the Public Gardens. For political reasons the bronze statue was kept in a courtyard of the ex Palazzo del Senato and only in 1927, the year in which the dedication included soldiers fallen in the French army, was it transferred to its current location. In 1881 the statue was put on display in the Italian Exhibition of Fine Arts in Milan and was completed 1886.