"It is as fierce as it is fearsome. The mythic Chimaera was as captivating to the Etruscans who crafted the beast in bronze over 2,400 years ago as it was to the Tuscans who unearthed the sculpture in 1553. Its fire-breathing furor was matched only by its monstrous composition-a lion's face and frame, a goat's head protruding from the back, and a snake in place of the tail."
"Etruscan artisans cast the 4ft-by-2.5ft bronze with a prickly mane and a defiant stance in the face of blood-spurting injuries. An inscription to the god Tinia and clay residues inside the work hint at its meaning and suggest its origins are around 400BC. Its rediscovery in Arezzo, around 50km south-east of Florence, under the reign of Cosimo I fuelled wonder in ancient civilisations."
"The new gallery is part of a major redesign of the museum and its exhibitions-the first since the catastrophic Florence flood in 1966. That November, heavy rains caused the Arno River to burst its banks: raging and contaminated waters devastated the museum and its collections. Conservators have spent years restoring the artefacts; now the museum, too, is undergoing a comprehensive renovation with refitted galleries, a new conservation lab and a new visitor experience."
The Chimaera of Arezzo is a 2,400-year-old Etruscan bronze depicting a lion with a goat head emerging from its back and a snake for a tail. The 4ft-by-2.5ft sculpture features a prickly mane, a defiant stance, and evidence of blood-spurting injuries. An inscription to the god Tinia and clay residues inside suggest an origin around 400 BC. The bronze was rediscovered in Arezzo in 1553. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze reinstalled the Chimaera in a dedicated gallery as part of a major redesign. The museum renovation follows decades of conservation after the catastrophic 1966 Florence flood and adds a new conservation lab and visitor experience.
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