Πέμπτη 30 Σεπτεμβρίου 2010

Hitler and the Discobolus




A rather bashful Adolf Hitler posing next to the Discobolus Palombara in the Munich Glyptothek.


The Discobolus Palombara, the first copy of this famous sculpture to have been discovered, was found in 1781. It is a first century AD copy of Myron's original bronze. Following its discovery at a Roman property of the Massimo family, the Villa Palombara on the Esquiline Hill, it was initially restored by Giuseppe Angelini; the Massimi installed it initially in their Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne and then at Palazzo Lancelotti. The Italian archaeologist Carlo Fea identified the sculpture as a copy from the original of Myron. It was instantly famous, though the Massimo jealously guarded access to it

In 1937 Adolf Hitler negotiated to buy it, and eventually succeeded in 1938, when Galeazzo Ciano, Minister of Foreign Affairs, sold it to him for five million lire, over the protests of Giuseppe Bottai, Minister of Education, and the scholarly community. It was shipped by rail to Munich and displayed in the Glyptothek; it was returned in 1948. It is now in the National Museum of Rome, displayed at the Baths of Diocletian.
(information via Wikipedia)


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Years later proof of another assassination attempt against Hitler comes to light...



2 σχόλια:

Keir είπε...

Thanks for the post; I was just at the Glyptothek a couple of days ago. But it makes me so mad that I can't watch your NINE SECOND video because I live in Germany. How are my students supposed to learn about the past when the country makes sure that youtube whitewashes their past? I had to live with this for eight years in China; we're moving closer to that terrible regime than the opposite...

Vassiliki Pliatsika είπε...

Thank you for your message.
I am actually amazed and shocked that Germany would ever prohibit anyone from seeing anything on Youtube. I have never ever heard any such instance, except, as you mentioned, in countries like China.

I can actually find no reason why this should happen. This is a funny video, playing with the still photo I show above, showing the Discobolus hitting Hitler on the head with the discus.
Worse things have been shown, why would they be annoyed with this funny instace, I fail to understand.
And who are "they" by the way? Who decides on behalf of the Germans what they are allowed to see on Youtube?