''Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion'' is a bronze sculpture located in the Piazza Ognissanti, overlooking the River

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy.

History and description

The first bronze statuettes on this subject were completed and exhibited by the Florentine sculptor

Romano Romanelli Romano Romanelli (14 May 1882 – 25 September 1968) was an Italian artist, writer, and naval officer, known for his sculptures and his medals. Romanelli was born in Florence, the son of sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. Romano's works occupy an impo ...

in 1906–1910. Romanelli became a prominent sculptor for the Fascist administration of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

. In 1930, the Fascist authorities removed the statue of the Venetian-Italian patriot

Daniele Manin Daniele Manin (13 May 180422 September 1857) was an Italian patriot, statesman and leader of the Risorgimento in Venice. Early and family life left, House in Venice where Daniele Manin lived Daniele Manin was born Daniele Fonseca in Ramo A ...

from the center of this piazza, where it had been placed, and installed it in the suburbs of

Arcetri Arcetri is a location in Florence, Italy, positioned among the hills south of the city centre. __TOC__ Landmarks A number of historic buildings are situated there, including the house of the scientist Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo B ...

. In its place, the Jewish-Italian patron Angiolo Orvieto commissioned this sculpture, placed here in 1937 after display at the exhibition of the Quadriennale d'Arte Nazionale in Rome. A casting of this sculpture was also exhibited in Berlin in 1937, where it was prominently placed at the entrance of the exhibition alongside a photograph of Mussolini and King

Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...

.Italian wikipedia: Mostra di arte italiana dal 1800 a oggi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion Monuments and memorials in Florence Bronze sculptures in Florence Outdoor sculptures in Florence Italian fascist architecture 1937 sculptures Sculptures of Heracles