The Scaliger Tombs is a group of monuments in Verona, celebrating the Scaliger family, who ruled there from the thirteenth to the late fourteenth century. On top of the tombs – which are outstanding examples of Gothic art – we see equestrian statues of Cangrande I, Mastino II and Cansignorio, all dating from the fourteenth century.
The originals of two of these sculptures, Cangrande I and Mastino II, are in Castelvecchio Museum in Verona. The sculptures are remarkable. Carved from one block of stone, the sculptures show Cangrande I with a smiling, youthful face, expressing kindness and benevolence in a moment of rest, and Mastino II in the moment before charging into a duel, with his face hidden behind a helmet in the form of a winged mastiff.
Begun in 1345, the tomb pof Mastino II was modified during its construction. It was originally painted and gilted, and is enclosed by a railing with four statues of the Virtues at the corners. The faces of the funerary urn are decorated by religious motifs; on the sepulchre cover lies again the defunct’s statue, guarded by two angels. The baldachin has religious themes sculpted on the pediment, and is also surmounted by the equestrian statue of Mastino II.
