Sculptures by Diego Sarti, Sculptures in Bologna, Italy
The Sculptures de Diego Sarti are a group of works in marble, bronze, and cement scattered across public spaces in Bologna, including gardens and the Certosa cemetery. The best-known ensemble is the fountain in the Montagnola garden, made up of a large basin surrounded by figures such as sirens, sea creatures, and turtles.
Diego Sarti was born in Bologna in 1859 and studied at the local Academy of Fine Arts before gaining national attention at age 22 with sculptures shown at a large fair in Milan. His cement fountain, made for the 1888 Emiliana Exhibition in Bologna, was so well received that it was the only piece kept after the fair ended.
The sculptures by Diego Sarti stand in public spaces around Bologna, particularly in the Montagnola garden, where people pass by them during everyday walks. The fountain with its animal and sea figures invites visitors to look closely and follow the motion carved into each figure.
Most of Sarti's works are found in the Montagnola garden, which sits in the center of Bologna and is easy to reach on foot. It is worth taking time to look at each figure up close, since many of the carved details only become visible from nearby.
The fountain in the Montagnola garden originally had five turtles as part of its group of figures. During a restoration in 1934, one of them disappeared without trace, and only four remain today.
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