Pietro Kandler
Prominent Istrians
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Portaurea, Pula (1842) As a symbol of the victory at Actium between years 29 and 27 B.C., a triumphal arch was erected to the Sergius family. The harmony of its form, whose surfaces are beautifully covered with intricate ornamentation depicting a wealth of mythology, vegetation and the animaI world alI delicately cut by chisel; this arch, this Corinthian-style edifice, is one of the most impressive examples of the whole Augustan period. De sua pecunia - which means: "From her own resources" - the arch was commissioned by the much respected widow of Pula, Salvia Posthuma, and thereby was created a more than adequate monument to the memory of her late husband, Lucius Sergius Lepidus -who we know took part in the battle of Actium -as well as to other members of the family, Gaius Lucius and Gnaeus Sergius. Many famous masters of art, among them being Fra Giocondo, Michelangelo Buonarotti, and Giovanbattista Piranesi, studied the methods of Antique building skills from this example. This Arch speaks of the tremendous importance that Pula had in those times: such colonial arches could, according to the laws of Rome, be erected only in colonies and municipii of special significance. The position of the arch, standing as it does at the edge of what once were the south-east city walls, bears witness to the high esteem in which the Sergius family was held, and to their power. The name "Golden Gate", as the arch is referred to by Pulistrians, originates from the so-called "golden " city gate that once stood next to the arch. The gate was demolished in 1826. Source: August Tischbein and August Selb (paintings), Pietro Kandler (Italian text), with translations by Srða Orbaniæ (Croatian), Jakob Löwenthal (German) and Vedrana Brajkoviæ (English). Book published by C.A.S.H. Histria Croatica (Pula, 1997) and entitled:
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This page compliments of Marisa Ciceran Created:
Friday, April 20,
2001; Last updated:
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
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