The noble 'condottiero': symbol of the Veronese Signoria
The equestrian monument to Cangrande I della Scala, a symbolic work of this city in the Veneto, stands in the Museo del Castelvecchio in Verona.
Originally located at Santa Maria Antica in Verona, on top of the tomb of this Della Scala lord (12 metres above the ground), it was transferred in 1909 to the Museo Civico in Palazzo Pompei, and then in 1926 to the Museo di Castelvecchio.
The equestrian monument celebrates Cangrande I della Scala, lord of Verona from 1311 to 1329. Dante Alighieri remembers him in the XVII canto of Paradise (lines 70-92): “... so recognized shall his magnificence become hereafter that his enemies will not have power to keep mute tongues about it...”.
The noble lord is portrayed in ceremonial armour, riding an armoured horse and holding a sword high in his right hand (now broken), in salute or victory. His face is bare, and the helmet rests on his shoulder. His fleeting and ironic smile, framed by his beard, is that of a proud knight aware of his own valour. As he turns his head towards onlookers, in unison with his horse, he is secure in the knowledge that he embodies the Della Scala miles Christi, or the ideal figure of the Veronese nobility.

The Art of the Chisel
Although critics are undecided on the attribution of this work (perhaps by the magister lapidum Giovanni di Righino), they agree on the author’s unusual realism, his inventive composition and extraordinary ability as a sculptor. The same sculptor was probably responsible for the equestrian statue placed on the tomb of Mastino II della Scala, between 1337 and 1351, when Mastino designed his mausoleum alongside the renewal of the tomb of his uncle and predecessor.

Alternating Fortunes
This statue has undergone various reversals of fortune over the centuries, and suffered a series of misfortunes. It fell down between the late 16th and early 17th century (due to an earthquake or a lightning strike), was repaired, cleaned and “re-antiqued” several times. During the First World War it was moved to Florence. It was restored carefully in 1992; conservative maintenance work was carried out in 1995 by the Istituto Centrale del Restauro (ICR) in Rome.
At the Museo di Castelvecchio it stands outside in a raised position in the passage between the keep and the palace, on a pedestal designed by Carlo Scarpa.