Micco

Abstract

This sculpture of a squatting bear is found today in the Fondazione Salvatore Romano and dates to c. 1400. The creature is thought to have adorned a post at the foot of a staircase and traces of paint reveal that it was red in colour. The Micco bear is a heraldic symbol of Pistoia, the city in which this work originated. The choice of a bear to represent the city likely derived from the large, mountainous area called Orsigna, or "forest of bears," owned by Pistoia. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.