It is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the season: the arrival in September from Sardinia to Madrid of the Boxer, one of the giants of Mont'e Prama, which will be exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum (Man), thanks to the collaboration of the Italian Embassy in Spain, the Mont'e Prama Foundation and the Italian Cultural Institute.
The two-and-a-half metre high statue, sculpted in the 12th century and coming from Cabras, will be on display in the Patio Ibérico of the Man from 17 September to 12 January next year.
The Boxer is one of the Giants, the Nuragic sculptures discovered by chance in March 1974 while ploughing the fields at Mont'e Prama in the Sinis region of Cabras, on the central-western side of Sardinia. In the burial area, dated to the 7th century B.C., 5,178 fragments of sculptures were brought to light. Of the 28 stone giants reconstructed after restoration, carried out between 2007 and 2011 at the Li Punti Restoration and Conservation Centre in Sassari, 16 represent boxers, 6 archers and 6 soldiers.
Maneddu, the famous giant sculpted in limestone that will be the guest of honour at the Man, has previously been exhibited in other international museum institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its arrival in Madrid will allow the Spanish public to get to know Sardinian culture and artistic heritage, the results of research in the archaeological complex, and to create synergies between institutions that conserve, restore, exhibit and disseminate cultural heritage, deepening collaborations between Italian and Spanish researchers and archaeologists, report the Man.
With these objectives in mind, the arrival of the giant will be accompanied by a two-day scientific conference on 'Spain, Sardinia and the Aegean World in the Ancient Mediterranean' on 17 and 18 September in the Salon de Actos of the National Archaeological Museum, in which Italian and Spanish experts are expected to participate. Scheduled events include guided tours of 'The Boxer and Monumental Sculpture in the Ancient Western Mediterranean, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands and the Iberian Peninsula' (19 September and 9 January at 5 pm). And Paolo Angeli's concert 'Il tramonto del Pugilatore' (20 September at 8:00 pm), again in the Salon de Actos of the Man, which for the occasion has planned an extraordinary night opening until 11 pm of the Patio Ibèrico, with free admission.
Preceding the arrival of the original work was the only existing copy of the Giant of Mont'e Prama exhibited in June at the Italian Embassy in Madrid on the occasion of the celebration of the 78th Italian Republic Day, dedicated to the integrated promotion of the island and its excellences, thanks to the collaboration between the Embassy, the Mont'e Prama Foundation and the Sardinian Region. In his speech, Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi anticipated the event in September, with the international conference that will be an important opportunity for an in-depth historical and archaeological study of one of the most surprising discoveries of the last 50 years.
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