asked the Minister for Education if he will give details of the Italian statuary erected at the Central Model Schools, Dublin, and the total cost thereof.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Italian Statuary-Cost of Erection.
The statuary in question (La Pieta) represents the grief of Our Lady, the holy women and the disciples over the body of Christ taken from the Cross. It is sculptured throughout in marble and is considered to be the masterpiece of Ermenegildo Luppi, one of the foremost Italian sculptors, who died in 1937. The statuary is a gift from the Italian Government and people as a token of gratitude for the assistance given by this country to Italy after the Second World War. The cost of its transportation from Italy was defrayed by people of Italian birth living in Ireland.
Was any of the cost defrayed by the State?
The cost of the erection was defrayed by the State.
What was the cost of the erection?
It was erected, first, in the National Museum at a cost of something over £400. Subsequently it was removed from there to its present site in the grounds of Marlboro' Street schools. The total cost of removing a monument that was there, putting it in another place, and erecting La Pieta in its place was something over £600.