 Madame Lucrezia In the corner of Piazza San Marco, in the shadow of Palazzo Venezia, stands the remains of an ancient statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis, which, for the last 500 years, has been known as Madame Lucrezia.
The statue was originally set up (circa 1500) outside the Basilica San Marco, but was soon moved to its present spot, where it became one of Rome's six 'talking' statues (statue parlante), carrying on 'conversations' with Marforio, a fellow 'talking' statue, on the nearby Capitoline Hill. In 1799 Madame Lucrezia fell from her pedestal, smashing into several pieces. She was said to have declared: 'I've seen enough'. She was soon repaired and returned to her corner, where she still stands, largely ignored and unnoticed by most passers-by. Comments are closed.
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My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
small-group walking tours of Rome. Search Walks in Rome:
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June 2021
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