The Statue of Ferrante I Gonzaga or the Triumph of Ferrante Gonzaga over Envy is a dramatic, outdoor, bronze, Italian Renaissance statue in the Piazza Gonzaga, in the center of Guastalla, a town in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The statue depicting Ferrante Gonzaga, the former

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

(1507–1557) was completed by Leone Leoni, and installed in 1594 by his son Cesare Gonzaga, who was also a military leader. The condottiero Ferrante is depicted in an triumphant pose, trampling the chest of a vanquished satyr, symbol of vice, and another foot atop a decapitated puny

hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

, symbol of calumny. Ferrante had been accused of disloyalty to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, but Ferrante cleared himself of the charges, appearing personally to defend himself before the emperor in Milan. The statue alludes to the episode. The grim, violent posture of the statue sets the

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

apart from other, more restrained prior depictions of military leaders such as the equestrian statues of condottieri such as

Gattamelata Erasmo Stefano of Narni (1370 – 16 January 1443), better known by his nickname of Gattamelata (meaning "Honeyed Cat"), was an Italian '' condottiero'' of the Renaissance. He was born in Narni, and served a number of Italian city-states: he b ...

and Bartolomeo Colleoni.Pro Loco Guastalla
The pose of the statue appears to herald the transition from the sober and placid rigidity of Renaissance depictions to more vigorous and active

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

poses.

References

Bronze sculptures in Italy Outdoor sculptures in Italy Buildings and structures in Emilia-Romagna 1594 sculptures Statues in Italy {{italy-sculpture-stub