The Stone Wall and the Magic of the Dwarfs

Villa Valmarana ai Nani, is surrounded by a stone wall on which 17 grotesque statues of dwarves, from which the villa takes its name, originally scattered in the garden, stand.
The dwarves are inspired by the characters of the Commedia dell’Arte and the prints of the Remondini of Bassano del Grappa: we thus find a judge, a sailor, a spinner, a serpentarius… It is believed that the preparatory drawings are the work of Giandomenico Tiepolo. While the name of the actual executor has not yet been identified, it is hypothesized that it could have been either Giovan Battista Bendazzoli from Verona or Francesco Uliaco.

 

The dwarves are also part of an evocative story handed down over time: the legend of Princess Layana, a dwarf girl forced to live isolated within the walls of the castle with her dwarf servants. When the prince broke her isolation, the young woman, shocked by the awareness of her diversity, took her own life, throwing herself from the tower. Her faithful servants, overcome by grief, turned to stone, remaining to eternally watch over their beloved mistress.

 

Beyond symbols of a fascinating legend, the dwarves are also masterpieces of eighteenth-century art. Combining the grotesque with the theatrical influence of the period, they celebrate the artistic genius that permeates the Villa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is history, after all? History is facts that end up becoming legend; legends are lies that end up becoming history.

[J. Cocteau]