One of the most iconic sculptures in the garden is the Mouth of Orcus, which seems to be a particular favorite of many artists. In old photographs, it is often referred to as la Bocca dell'Inferno (the Mouth of Hell).
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| c. 1930 |
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| Salvador Dali nel "giardino dei mostri", 1948 |
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| Mostro im Garten des Palazzo Orsin Herbert List, 1952 |
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| Il Castello dei morti vivi, 1964 |
A model of the Mouth of Orcus comes with the Sons of Orcus box set for Gangs of Rome.
The model does not have the inscription over the mouth, but I think it looks better that way.
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| VC People: Ogni Pensiero Vola (All Thoughts Fly) |
Many of the painted models I've seen are colored a verdigris green, like the studio model, but the actual scuplture is constructed of gray peperino (and covered in green moss).
I plan on using the model in a larger terrain piece, most likely set in a wall, but I'm quite curious about what the actual sculpture looks like from the top and the rear.
If I get the chance to visit Italy again, the Sacro Bosco is definitely one of the places that will be on my itinerary.
I ever found that "OGNI PENSIERO VOLA" was nonsense while "LASCIATE OGNI PENSIERO O VOI CH'INTRATE" was the most likely original phase carved around the mouth (quoting Dante's Inferno) . How did you find out?
ReplyDeleteHi Anon,
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that there was controversy over the words that were carved on the sculpture. My use of "Lasciate ogni pensiero o voi ch'intrate" was inspired by art of L'Orco by the artist Nicolás Arispe from his book titled after the phrase.