The Monumental Lions by Ghidoni Relocate to Lonato del Garda
The “PTM Round Trip” project concludes: the sculptures leave Piazza Moretto in Brescia to find their permanent home in the park of the Rocca.
After nearly four years standing guard at the entrance of the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Piazza Moretto, the monumental Lions by sculptor Domenico Ghidoni have left the city of Brescia. Their relocation to Lonato del Garda marks the conclusion of a significant phase of “PTM Round Trip” (PTM Andata e Ritorno), a promotion project led by the Fondazione Brescia Musei and the Fondazione Ugo da Como, which has allowed thousands of visitors to rediscover their history and artistic value.
Carved in 1888 from Botticino marble, each weighing approximately twelve tons, the sculptures were originally designed for the tollhouses of Porta San Nazaro in Brescia (now Piazza della Repubblica). However, due to execution discrepancies, the project was never finalized, and the works were rejected. For nearly 150 years, they remained kept in Rezzato, in the courtyard of Davide Lombardi, the renowned Brescian stonemason known for his contribution to the construction of the Vittoriano monument in Rome.
In 2020, the sculptures became part of the Fondazione Ugo da Como collections, following the Lombardi family’s generous donation of over four hundred artworks. Research conducted by the Foundation’s team, starting from the precious Tagliaferri Archive (which arrived in Lonato in 2010), allowed for a detailed reconstruction of the Lions’ history.
This journey and the temporary display of the two majestic works in front of the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo were made possible by teamwork. Alongside the collaboration between the Fondazione Ugo da Como, the Fondazione Brescia Musei, the Feralpi Group (founding member of the Alliance for Culture), and the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, the initiative received key support from Boldini Trasporti for the complex logistics and from the Lions Club Colli Morenici (particularly through the dedication of Renato Gallina and past president Max Bocchio during the 2023-2024 social year).
With the installation of the Lions inside the park of the Rocca, in the Monumental Complex of Lonato del Garda, a new chapter begins for these works. While residents of Lake Garda and tourists can now admire them in their majesty in an exceptional natural setting, for the citizens of Brescia it is already time for nostalgia: the facade of the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, also designed by Antonio Tagliaferri, will look slightly emptier without its historic guardians.
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