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Modena
Modena (prov.) Emilia-Romagna Piazza Grande / Via Castellaro |
La Bonissima |
Attributed to Maestro delle Metope 12th century |
Statue of marble (the head) and limestone (the body) of a woman, standing on a console on the corner.
The statue of 'La Bonissima', a mysterious female figure erected in 1268 on the Piazza Grande and in 1468 placed above the porch of the Palazzo Comunale, at the corner with Via Castellaro. Tradition tells about a noble woman from Modena, Bona, who distinguished herself in her generosity toward the poor. Most likely however, the feminine figure (perhaps holding scales in her hand, now lost) is the symbol of 'Buona stima' – Good Estimation (hence in dialect 'bona ésma' and then 'bonésma'), namely precision in measures and sales: at the foot of the statue were in fact the ancient Modenese mercantile measures engraved (since 1547, on the apse of the Duomo).
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