Victory
By Carlo Nicoli
Category: Miscellaneous
About
This statue is an exact copy of Vincenzo Consani’s Victory in the Pitti Gallery in Florence, Italy. When this copy arrived in St. Louis in 1886, it was placed in the so-called “Temple of Victory” where it has been ever since. The inscription on its pedestal reads: “The Victory of Science over ignorance. Ignorance is the curse of God. Knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.”
For more information visit the Missouri Botanical Gardens website.
Dimensions: 8′
Year completed: 1887
Material: Marble
Owner: Missouri Botanical Garden
About the artist:
Carlo Nicoli
1843-1915
Neoclassical sculptor Carlo Nicoli is regarded as one of the most successful artists working in Florence during the mid-to late 19th century. He studied under famed sculptor Giovanni Dupre in Florence, and exhibited pieces in Britain, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, and Argentina. In 1863, Nicoli established the Nicoli Sculpture Studios in Carrara, Italy, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and continues to produce important classical reproductions and commissions to this day.
