Capitoline Wolf Statue, Cincinnati
The Capitoline Wolf Statue is a sculpture of a she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The bronze sculpture on a granite and marble base is located in Eden Park at the Twin Lakes area overlooking the Ohio River. It is an exact replica of the original Capitoline Wolf in the Musei Capitolini of Rome, Italy.[1]
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini sent a small version of the statue for a 1929 Sons of Italy national convention in Cincinnati. It was replaced by a larger one in 1931,[1] which is the version that still stands in Eden Park.[2] The sculpture was meant to honor Cincinnatus, the namesake of Cincinnati. It is inscribed with the Latin Anno X (year ten), indicating 1931, the tenth year of Mussolini's regime.[3]
On January 6, 2020, Cincinnati City Council member Chris Seelbach tweeted that he wants the statue to be removed. Seelbach stated "Statues from the monster that was Benito Mussolini don’t belong in our parks. Museums? Maybe. But not Cincinnati Parks. I’m drafting legislation tomorrow to have the statue permanently removed."[4] Shortly afterwards, Seelbach indefinitely delayed his plans to have the statue removed, saying "There’s been a lot of feedback about removing the statue from Eden Park. Instead of introducing legislation today to remove it, I’ll continue to listen and have conversations with all interested parties before making any formal decisions on its potential future."[5]
References
- ^ a b "Capitoline Wolf". Queen City Tour Blog. August 11, 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ Federal Writers' Project (1943). Cincinnati, a Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors. p. 280. ISBN 9781623760519. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
- ^ "Eden Park". Cincinnati Park Board. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Coolidge, Sharon (January 6, 2020). "Mussolini gave Cincinnati a statue. Councilman Chris Seelbach wants it out of Eden Park". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "Council member pulls back on proposal to remove wolf statue from Eden Park". Fox19. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.