Venice – Angel Of The City!

Europe, Travel Snippets93 Comments

Peggy Guggenheim’s irreverence and sense of humour is evident from this 1948 Marino Marini sculpture presiding over the canal side entrance to her old home: Palazzo Venier de Leoni (Now home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection).

The bronze male nude astride a horse is hardly what you would expect to be titled ‘Angel of the City’!
Marino Marini's bronze sculpture in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Serious scrutiny……
Marino Marini's bronze sculpture in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Amusement…
Marino Marini's bronze sculpture in the Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Oops…the twist!
Have a fun weekend you all!

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Madhu is an Interior designer turned travel blogger on a long sabbatical to explore the world. When not crafting stories on The Urge To Wander, she's probably Tweeting @theurgetowander or sharing special moments on instagram.com/theurgetowander

93 thoughts on “Venice – Angel Of The City!”

    1. Thanks David. Have missed your stories. Shall be over to catch up tomorrow. Off to bed now, it is past 2 am! 🙂

  4. I remember this statue very well, Madhu – for a 15 year old like myself it was perhaps the most interesting thing at the museum! Had to laugh at Meredith’s comment about rubbing the member for luck… perhaps for better prospects in one’s love life?

    1. Thank God no one thought of that marketing ploy James!! Apart from the grossness of the action, one would have to contend with extra long lines of hopefuls 😀

  6. Whahahahaha! Great twist Madhu! You’re so funny! Stunning shots hon! 😀 ♥ Big Hugs ♥

  7. HAHAHAHA What a twist! This image reminded me of the Barrel Man that was a popular souvenir from the mountain region in the north of the Philippines. It was a wood carving of a man standing inside a wooden barrel. When one lifts up the barrel, he would be greeted by a rather stiff ‘salute’ from the sculpture. 🙂

  9. That can not be too pleasant a ride. Then again….

  11. I have to confess I was surprised. In fact I think my mouth dropped open!

    Interesting though. Given some definitions of pornography (UK afaik) I would have thought that could be deemed illegal. Obv not in Italy.

  13. Ha! Not exactly what I was expecting … even after the set-up you give in your post! Fun submission 🙂

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  28. i am sure that statue makes for quite a conversation piece! as mentioned above, the reactions of visitors would be fun to capture, too!

    1. More fun even than the statue Chris! It usually starts with shocked surprise, then slight embarrassment, followed by merriment! 🙂

  29. Great take on the theme, very well captured – Guggenheim’s father, Benjamin Guggenheim, died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 – a creative woman with a lot of ideas – on her grave in Italy there’s a plaque remembering her dogs… 🙂

    1. Thank you Ledrake. She rests in the grounds of this house and I have a picture of the plaque….14 dogs in all between 1949 – 1979!!

    1. 🙂 Can you imagine the furore a sculpture like this and titled ‘Angel of the City’ would create, if displayed in a gallery in India, let alone in a public space???

        1. 🙂 Everyone has the right to be scandalised Dilip. It is the vandalism I object to, that impinges on personal liberty.

  32. Uhm … The stair bars made it look like the guy stuck that inside the …. nevermind. Was that the real twist? 😀

    1. He certainly is! I wonder what passing gondoliers thought of him in the 50’s and 60’s!!

  35. I love the horse’s expression! And despite no evidence or worn patch several people decided to “pleasure” the angel in various ways whilst I was there last week!! Great statue though!!

    1. I am glad I didn’t get to see any of that!!! The horse looks startled….mirroring the viewers reaction perhaps? 🙂 Thank you for the visit and comment Liz.

  36. Ha! Ha! Didn’t see that when I went to Venice!
    Have a lovely week-end
    Brian

    1. I went looking for it after my visit to the museum, since I had read about it beforehand. I tried a shot from the water, but there were always people milling around whenever I passed that way! 🙂

  37. I love how that poor long suffering horse – or indeed the aroused member itself – has no worn patch, where people have rubbed it for luck – no-one seems to want to get up that close, eh? Lovely twist dear. 🙂

    1. Doubled over with mirth Meredith 😀 Now that you mention it, everyone did keep their distance! I think the shock takes a while to wear off 😀

        1. Me too 🙂 I can’t seem to find an exact date, but seems like the sculpture was certainly in place by the mid fifties.

  39. I love it. Not only is this evidence of a great sense of humor but also gutsiness. She doesn’t care what the neighbors think! Thanks for your great interpretation of this theme, Madhu

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