Monte di Pietà (Simbologia e Allegoria) / The Pawn Bank (symbol and allegory)

The Pawn Bank (symbol and allegory) sculpture, vice, religion, welfare, poverty

The Pawn Bank (2015, marble, cm 56x80x8, one piece, with an iron handmad frame adaptable to the wall ) is a bas-relief with the image of the rising Christ from the Holy Grave that is taken from an etching on the frontispiece of the Capitoli del Santo Monte della Pietà di Forlì. The 1604 engraving doesn’t show any elements for detecting the name of the artist not even the name of the engraver, according to the decorative habit of that Time. Flavio Berni thanks Mr Torrenzieri for the permission of the image. Our artist creates this work to shake the audience’s sensitivity regarding poverty. The ancient Monti di Pietà are today the Pawn Shop, where the poor people bring the latest values they own getting some money in order to survive.