We are in Piazza Unità again, looking up at a detail of Palazzo Stratti by Antonio Buttazzoni (1839), which hosts the Caffé degli Specchi ("Café of the mirrors") on the ground floor.At the top of this palace lies a sculptural group by Luigi Zandomeneghi representing an allegory of Trieste's progress.
Thanks to the zoom lens, this is the first time that I have been able to spot the objects that lie near the female figure: a locomotive, a cog, pliers, an anvil, and on the far left, an owl.
I was puzzled by the presence of the owl, but a quick search on wikipedia cleared up any doubts I had about the link between the bird of prey and progress: "In Greek mythology, the owl, and specifically the Little Owl, was often associated with the goddess Athena, a bird goddess who became associated with wisdom, the arts, and skills, and as a result, owls also became associated with wisdom."
5 comments:
Wonderful photo, I really like details in sculptures.
I too have done my research to discover that your Zandomeneghi is the grandfather of Federico Zandomeneghi, the italian impressionist painter.
Very nice shot, love the details.
Hurrah! for modern technology. Lovely to 'see' the symbols of progress.
Seems like a lot of symbolism for something you need a zoom lens to see. Beautiful nevertheless.
It's nice how a zoom lens can reveal details that you'd otherwise miss out on. Interesting and nice shot.
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