Ugolino and His Sons

Ugolino and His Sons
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)
Saint-Béat marble

Ugolino dell Gheradesca was an Italian nobleman in the Guelph party who was made podesta of Pisa in 1284. In a conspiracy contrived by the Ghibelline Archbishop Ruggeri, Ugolino was accused of having betrayed his town by being negligent in battle. The Archbishop condemned him for his treasonous activities and had him locked up in a tower with his sons and grandsons. The entire male line, therefore, was left to starve to death. Dante tells the story of how Ugolino's children, bearing the unjust condemnation that was their fate offered to sacrifice their bodies to keep their father alive.

This was Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's Senior Project !


Have a good day :)