(Volos, Greece 1888–1978 Rome)
Arianna (1913), 1990, signed: G. de Chirico and with the foundry mark of G. F. Amici, Mendrisio. Bronze, dark patina, no. 4 from the edition of 7, 16.3 x 38 x 13 cm

Photo certificate:
Claudio Bruno Sakraischick

Provenance:
Private Collection, Italy

Literature:
Il grande metafisico, catalogue of the exhibition curated by Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico, Cremona, Palazzo Trecchi, March/May 2004, p. 72 with ill.

Comparative literature:
The image of the original plaster could be found in the following catalogues : J. Thrall Soby, Giorgio de Chirico, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1954, p.61 Hommage a James Thrall Soby, M. L. Jeanneret Gallery, Geneva, 1979, p. 42

This rare and iconic sculpture was cast in 1990 in “lost wax” from the original plaster executed by de Chirico in 1913 (Jean Paulhan Collection, Paris).
The edition, authorized by Isa Far de Chirico, is made up of 7 bronzes marked with Arabic numerals + 2 proofs marked with Roman numerals. The image of Arianna is derived from a Roman copy at the Vatican Museums in Rome. A replica of it is located alongside the access staircase to the Gardens of Versailles. During his stay in Paris, Giorgio de Chirico was deeply impressed by the sculpture, as we can see in some of the paintings from that period. On the statue converge the linear trajectories of the famous “Piazze”. The statue of Arianna becomes a point of reference for our eye in the alternation of light and shade; in the position of the interwoven arms and legs in the shape of an eight we recognize the symbol of infinity.