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Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli

The Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli is a marble memorial dedicated to the 19th-century poet who wrote mainly in Romanesco, the Roman dialect. It stands just off the Lungotevere in Trastevere, across from the entrance to Ponte Garibaldi over the Tiber. Public donations funded the project, which began in 1910 through the efforts of Domenico Gnoli, Ferdinando Martini, and Leone Caetani. A competition chose Michele Tripisciano’s design in 1911, and the monument was inaugurated in May 1913 for the 50th anniversary of Belli’s death. The sculpture shows the poet in a top hat and with a walking stick, posed above reliefs of Roman symbols and satirical motifs.

Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli showing a stone statue of a man in a top hat and long coat leaning on a plinth with a cane.
Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, with a full-body stone figure in a top hat and long coat beside an inscribed plinth.
October 2005 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli showing a stone statue of a man in a top hat and long coat on an ornate pedestal.
The Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, with the statue set on a decorated pedestal surrounded by trees.
November 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli with a statue of a man in a top hat and long coat, beside a fountain with a grotesque face and round basin.
The Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, shown with its sculpted figure and the adjacent decorative fountain.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli showing a marble statue of a man in a top hat and long coat beside two draped female figures.
The Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli features a marble statue of the poet with two draped female figures.
May 2011 © · CC BY 2.0
Crowd gathered around the Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, with a tall statue of a man in a top hat at the center.
The Monument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli shown during an early public gathering, with a crowd surrounding the statue.
September 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleMonument to Giuseppe Gioachino Belli
TypeSculptural group
Work typeMemorial monument
Original titleMonumento a Giuseppe Gioachino Belli

Historical context

Project selected22 April 1911
Inauguration date4 May 1913
Completion occasionThe fiftieth anniversary of the poet's death
Completion date1913
Competition announced31 January 1911
Idea proposedCirca 1910
Literary language of the subjectRomanesco, the Roman dialect
DedicationIn honor of Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, the 19th-century Roman poet known for the Sonetti romaneschi

Creator

ArtistMichele Tripisciano

Discovery and provenance

CostThe total amount is not specified in the source
Later site namePiazza Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, renamed in 1942
Former site namePiazza d'Italia
Chosen sitePiazza d'Italia, near Ponte Garibaldi
Site selectionA committee of admirers and connoisseurs of the poet was formed to identify a suitable site
Sculptor's remunerationTripisciano renounced his fee
Municipal approvalThe municipality gave a favorable opinion and fundraising began
Recipient of proposalMayor Ernesto Nathan of Rome
PromotersDomenico Gnoli, Ferdinando Martini, and Leone Caetani
Fundraising initiativesA subscription for readers promoted by Luigi Cesana, director of Il Messaggero, and performances at the Adriano, Valle, and Quirino theaters
Selection methodDesign selected by competition
FundingFunded by public donations
Fundraising start1910

Materials

Primary materialMarble
Original accessory materialWood
Replacement accessory materialIron

Physical characteristics

BaseLow square plinth; rectangular base identified as the parapet of the Ponte Fabricio, with a herm of the Quattro Capi
CompositionA statue of Belli with decorated base elements
Current accessory fixingFixed with cement
Current accessory appearancePainted black to imitate ebony

Appearance

Water featuresWater is poured from allegorical mascarons representing Poetry and Satire
InscriptionTo their poet G.G. Belli the People of Rome MCMXIII
Composition referencePonte Fabricio is referenced in the sculpture's composition
Base decorationThe short sides have two fountains made of marble basins with molded rims
Iconography on baseThe front long side shows the river god Tiber with the Capitoline Wolf and Romulus and Remus; the rear long side shows a Roman crowd gathered around Pasquino
PoseShown aloof on the plinth, while affectionately gazing at fellow pedestrians
Depicted figureGiuseppe Gioachino Belli, shown as an elegantly dressed man wearing a top hat and holding a cane in his left hand, with his right hand resting on a reconstruction of the Ponte Fabricio banister

Iconography and meaning

Mask meaningThe grotesque mask feeding the fountain represents Poetry and Satire, features of Belli's work

Location and ownership

Current locationPiazza Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, Trastevere, Rome
Current location referenceJust off the Lungotevere in Trastevere, across from the entrance to the Ponte Garibaldi over the Tiber

History and restoration

Original walking stickWood
Replacement walking stickIron rod, replacing the original wooden stick after several thefts
Museum with related materialTripisciano Museum, Palazzo Moncada
Monument roomSala del Belli
Contents of monument roomVarious proofs and copies of details of the work, and the original model of the statue

Significance

Original model significanceThe original model was the one Tripisciano used to win the competition for the monument

Other

Model sketches preserved inCaltanissetta, the sculptor's hometown
Inauguration attendeesMayor Nathan was present at the inauguration