Madame Lucrezia

Madama Lucrezia is one of the five "talking statues" of Rome. Pasquinades — irreverent satires poking fun at public figures — were posted beside each of the statues from the 16th century onwards, written as if spoken by the statue, largely in answer to the verses posted at the sculpture called "Pasquino" Madama Lucrezia was the only female "talking statue", and was the subject of competing verses by Pasquino and Marforio.

Madama Lucrezia is a colossal Roman bust, about 3 metres high, sited on a plinth in the corner of a piazza between the Palazzetto Venezia and the chiesa di S. Marco. The statue is badly disfigured, and the original subject cannot be identified with certainty, but may represent the Egyptian goddess Isis (or of a priestess of Isis), or perhaps a portrait of the Roman empress Faustina. The bust was given to Lucrezia d'Alagno, the lover of Alfonso d'Aragona, King of Naples; she moved to Rome after Alfonso's death in 1458.

ee also

*The other five speaking statues of Rome:
**Pasquino
**Il Babuino
**Marforio
**Facchino
**Abate Luigi

*The speaking statue of Milan:
**Omm de Preja (or Sciur Carera)

Bibliography

*C. Rendina, ”Pasquino statua parlante”, in "Roma ieri, oggi, domani", n. 20, February 1990.Further bibliography is at Pasquino.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/mp_pollett/roma-c2i.htm?20071 Le statue parlanti di Roma]
* [http://www.romasegreta.it/pigna/corpo1.htm Madama Lucrezia]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=jzXsIktocfEC&pg=PA73&dq=babuino+silenus&lr=&as_brr=3&sig=m4FZO1pN5ndnAgi-I8HNxUBBWow#PPA73,M1 "The Insider's Guide to Rome", p.72]