This badass statue is straight out of Lord of the Rings!
Look at this colossal sculpture of “Appennino” (1579-1580) by Giambologna, near Florence! And discover what’s hiding inside.
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This incredible statue is 35 feet tall and lies within the gardens of Villa Medici at Pratolino, now part of Villa Demidoff was sculpted in 1579 by Italian artist Giambologna.
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Originally, the “Apennine Colossus” seemed to emerge from the vaulted rockwork niche that once surrounded him.
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He squeezes the the of a monster beast with all his mighty. The blood then spills out of its mouth magnifically into a fish pond.
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But, the Appennino isn’t just a sculpture, but is actually a hidden building. You can enter the collossal monument through a back door:
Multiple grottoes with water-driven automata, a water organ, surprise jets used to amaze the lucky visitors who were able to enter this hidden palace.
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The walls of this hidden construction are ornated with different kinds of shells, corals, pearls and crystals. Some even are covered with frescoes. This is an amazing juxtapositions of Art with imitations of wild Nature and deities.
Did you know that the stone heads (Moai statues) on Easter Island have bodies ?