Roman box / manhole in sterling silver with SPQR writing

• Handmade 100% • Made in Rome, Italy • Material : Sterling Silver • Lenght : 7 cm (2.7 Inches) • Width : 7 cm (2.7 Inches)
€1.040,00

This small 925 silver sculpture, made by the artist Foscolo Benedetti, was born from the observation of the many cast iron manhole covers in Rome; in this case the manhole has been transformed into a box, a "functional" object. This particular type of manhole, with the inscription SPQR (from the Latin Senatvs PopvlvsQve Romanvs - the Senate and the Roman People, together initials and symbol of the royal age: the Senate and the people, i.e. the two classes of patricians and plebeians who were at the foundation of the Roman state) and 8 slits that collect rainwater bringing it into the underground sewers, is located in Villa Borghese. The life of the "Roman sewer" has always been difficult and tiring: still in 1951 acetylene lamps were used and the sewers were ..... full of rats! In this case, a small sculptural work expresses the need to preserve and pass on the culture of the "small" and of what for man is daily life!