Image © Mario Ciampi
Firenze, Italy
Etruscan art is rightly regarded as a cornerstone of Italy’s ancient heritage, and it is a continuing source of artistic inspiration worldwide today. The Etruscans were master metalworkers, creating mirrors, jewelry, chariots, and monumental statues. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Chimera of Arezzo.
Display Exhibition Designer
Guicciardini & Magni Architetti
Dating from around 400 BCE, this dramatic bronze statue depicts the mythical Chimera, a terrifying hybrid creature from Greek mythology slain by the hero Bellerophon. It was likely created by a collaborative team of Etruscan and Greek artisans, and once seen, it is never forgotten. During the decline and disappearance of Etruscan civilization, this masterpiece was lost without trace for centuries.
Then, in November 1553, construction workers laboring near the Porta San Lorentino gate in Arezzo, Tuscany, made a remarkable discovery. The Chimera was found, buried alongside smaller bronze votive figures, believed to have been hidden for safekeeping in antiquity.
Never one to miss an opportunity, Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, quickly claimed it for his collection and displayed it in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. The Chimera became an emblem of Medici power and aesthetic refinement.
Today, the Chimera is displayed in the National Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale), Florence – it is still an enduring, powerful symbol of Etruria’s sophistication and artistic excellence. Goppion’s team has provided a new Corian display base and plinth for the mythical monster, as part of an ongoing, larger redevelopment project at the Museum.
Our work in the newly reimagined Etruscan galleries extends to other features, too. We have provided a wall-mounted display case, curved benches covered in Corian with vegan leather cushions for visitors’ comfort, and a new graphic interpretation panel.
As part of our highly considered approach to integrated gallery design, we assisted exhibition designers Guicciardini & Magni Architetti by producing showcases and fixtures in the museum floor and walls that are as non-invasive as possible. The wall-mounted showcase had to be affixed to a very old internal wall, so we developed a safe, practical solution by producing a reinforcing panel, which allowed the secure installation of the showcase.
This work completes the first phase of our project with the National Archaeological Museum, and we are currently developing display solutions and providing design assist for future renewals throughout the Museum. This exciting project builds on our past working relationship with them, formed during a previous period of renovations conducted in the early 1990s.
While object conservation technologies have evolved since those days, Goppion still brings the same rigorous level of care and attention to our work, for display solutions that work in harmony with building architecture and the vision of curators and designers alike. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in Florence, optimizing the display and legibility of yet more remarkable works of art like the mighty Chimera of Arezzo.