Elephant obelisk, Catania

Elephant obelisk, Piazza del Duomo, Catania, 1736

Naturally, this was designed by one of Bernini’s students (Vaccarini) who came to Catania for many projects after the devastation caused by Mt. Etna. The elephant is carved from lava with an Egyptian obelisk on his back and a globe on the top. The latter is from a Roman sculpture, now the city’s symbol.

Leave a comment