Medieval Italian warlord, Cangrande I della Scala (1291 - 1329), known in his lifetime as ‘Big Dog’ and a leader of the Scaliger family that ruled Verona, Veneto, Italy. Stone sculpture on Cangrande’s ornate Gothic tomb in Verona. Cangrande brandishes his broadsword while sitting astride his charger, a winged helm slung over his shoulders.


Verona, Veneto, Italy: medieval warlord ‘Big Dog’ Cangrande I della Scala (1291-1329), leader of the Scaliger family that ruled Verona and much of northern Italy, sits astride his charger while brandishing his broadsword and with a winged helm slung over his shoulders. This impressive equestrian statue stands on top of Cangrande’s ornate Gothic pyramidal tomb within the 14th century wrought iron enclosure in Piazzaletto delle Arche, beside the Church of Santa Maria Antica, that houses the funerary monuments of five leaders of the della Scala or Scaliger clan. Despite their pugnacious reputation and their obvious desire to make statements of their power, ‘Big Dog’ at least seems to have also had a softer side, being renowned for his patronage of the poet Dante Alighieri.


Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Piazzaletto delle Arche, Chiesa di Santa Maria Antica, Verona, Veneto, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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