Scior Carera
Encyclopedia
Scior Carera and Omm de preja (Milanese for "stone man") are traditional, popular names used to refer to an ancient Roman
sculpture located in Milan
(Italy
), at nr. 13 of Corso Vittorio Emanuele (next to the Duomo). Before being located where it is now (on the facade of a modern building) in the mid 20th century, the sculpture has been in different places, most notably in Via San Pietro dall'Orto.
The name "Carera" is a corruption of the first word "Carere" of the epigraph found below the statue.
The sculpture is a marble bas-relief dating back to the 3rd century. It depicts a man wearing a toga
, with the right leg slightly put forward; it has lost its arms as well as its head. The latter was replaced in the middle ages
, supposedly to represent archbishop Adelmanno Menclozzi.
Under the relief there is an epigraph
with a sentence credited to Cicero
, Carere debet omni vitio qui in alterum dicere paratus est ("Anybody who wants to criticise someone should be free from all faults"). Another inscription below this one remembers the former collocation of the statue in Via San Pietro all'Orto as well as the role this statue has played in the 19th century during the Austria
n rule of Milan; at the time, in fact, there was the common habit of attaching satirical political messages to the statue, much like what happened in Rome
with Pasquino and other "talking statues
". In particular, the so-called tobacco riots that started the Five Days of Milan
(whereby the Milanese quit smoking to cause an economical damage to the Austrian) was possibly initiated on 31 December 1848 by a message attached to Scior Carera.
Because of the role of the statue in the fight for independence of Milan, its name was used for a satirical journal (L'uomo di pietra, Italian
equivalent of Omm de preja) that was published between 1856 and 1864 and again after 1878.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
sculpture located in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), at nr. 13 of Corso Vittorio Emanuele (next to the Duomo). Before being located where it is now (on the facade of a modern building) in the mid 20th century, the sculpture has been in different places, most notably in Via San Pietro dall'Orto.
The name "Carera" is a corruption of the first word "Carere" of the epigraph found below the statue.
The sculpture is a marble bas-relief dating back to the 3rd century. It depicts a man wearing a toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
, with the right leg slightly put forward; it has lost its arms as well as its head. The latter was replaced in the middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, supposedly to represent archbishop Adelmanno Menclozzi.
Under the relief there is an epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
with a sentence credited to Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, Carere debet omni vitio qui in alterum dicere paratus est ("Anybody who wants to criticise someone should be free from all faults"). Another inscription below this one remembers the former collocation of the statue in Via San Pietro all'Orto as well as the role this statue has played in the 19th century during the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n rule of Milan; at the time, in fact, there was the common habit of attaching satirical political messages to the statue, much like what happened in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
with Pasquino and other "talking statues
Talking statues of Rome
The talking statues of Rome provided an outlet for a form of anonymous political expression in Rome. Criticisms in the form of poems or witticisms were posted on well-known statues in Rome...
". In particular, the so-called tobacco riots that started the Five Days of Milan
Five Days of Milan
The Five Days of Milan was a major event in the Revolutionary Year of 1848 and the start of the First Italian War of Independence. On March 18th, the city of Milan, rose, and in five days of street fighting drove Marshal Radetzky and his men from the city....
(whereby the Milanese quit smoking to cause an economical damage to the Austrian) was possibly initiated on 31 December 1848 by a message attached to Scior Carera.
Because of the role of the statue in the fight for independence of Milan, its name was used for a satirical journal (L'uomo di pietra, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
equivalent of Omm de preja) that was published between 1856 and 1864 and again after 1878.