Buildings Are Our Story
HOW CLEOPATRAS' NEEDLE GOT TO NEW YORKS CENTRAL PARK
The Gifting of the Central Park Obelisk - The Ultimate White Elephant
In the 1878, the Egyptian government gifted one obelisk of a pair to England, and the second obelisk was gifted to the United States by the Khedive Ismail Pasha in commemoration of the opening of the Suez Canal. A third obelisk had previously been gifted to France. The removal of the Obelisks and their transportation took over a year for each monument, and was a significant feat of logistics, diplomacy, and engineering. The US obelisk was installed in Central Park, NY in January 1881.
The Obelisk was created roughly 3,500 years earlier in Egypt to celebrate Pharaoh Thutmose III's 30th year of reign. Stonecutters carved two obelisks out of granite and installed them outside of the Temple of the Sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. Each one was formed from a single piece of quarried stone using stone tools to create a shaft that is 69 feet high and weighs approximately 220 tons each. The obelisks rested on 50 ton granite bases, and were set to frame the entrance to the temple of the sun. Later in their life they were usurped by Rameses II who took all credit before the Gods when he came into power. Stealing credit for great accomplishments is NOT a new thing!
These stayed in place for about 1,500 years, until they were toppled and burned during an invasion by Persians in 525 B.C. For more than 500 years, they remained buried in sand until 12 BCE when Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus rediscovered them and transported them to Alexandria where they were erected in front of the Caesarium, a temple built by Cleopatra to praise her new boyfriend. This may explain how they individually came to be known as "Cleopatra's Needles", a name that still endures. Bronze shim supports shaped as crabs were added to each corner at this time to shore up the damaged obelisks. In Roman mythology, crabs are associated with Apollo, the sun god.
It was no small task to move two 220 ton granite monuments 100 of miles over land and raise them again in the new city of Alexandria, but the Romans had need of them. They were strategically placed in front of the Caesarium as a guide for ships entering the harbor. While the massive lighthouse of Alexandria marked the entrance of the harbor, beyond the entrance were rocky shoals that sunk many a ship who missed the deep channel between the rocks. Once they were in place, all the ships needed to do was aim for the center between the obelisks and they sailed past the shoals unharmed.
When the Khedive made his generous gift he did not include free shipping. It was up to the French, British, and Americans to pick up their obelisk, haul it home, and stand it up again. While the one given to Paris and London were already toppled by earthquakes and laying on the ground; the New York obelisk still stood and required the extra effort to first lower it without breaking it. In 1879 preparation for the Obelisk's journey began. A site west of the Met Museum in Central Park was chosen as its home, beating out other locations and ensured that it wouldn't be overshadowed by skyscrapers.
Moving the monument from Alexandria to New York City was an incredible engineering accomplishment. It measures 69 feet from base to tip, is 8 feet wide at its base, and weighs around 220 tons. Its pedestal and steps are 27 feet high and weigh another 50 tons. The Obelisk had to be lowered in Alexandria, moved to a ship with the aid of parallel beams, unloaded in New York, transported to its new site, and raised again. Here is the short version of how that was accomplished.
Step One: After great research and planning Henry Gorringe et al were ready to transport the monument from Alexandria to New York City via a specially customized wooden cargo ship called the Dessoug. The plan was that the Obelisk would be loaded into the ballast of the ship by opening a hole in the bow and inserting the obelisk base first into the ship. It was not considered practical to load the entire monument inside the ship and about 15% of the mass would actually hang out off the starboard bow. Once loaded the hull would be re-seal around the stone. Fortunately OSHA had not yet been invented because I am not sure this plan would have passed muster?
While they had a plan for the embarkation, much had to be done before worrying about that step. Upon arrival the obelisk itself was encased in heavy timber, sort of a protective crate to prevent scaring on the journey ahead. While this was being done the ship was secured into a dry dock, and a short rail line was constructed between the sites of the obelisk to the ship to roll the 440,000 pound stone from one to the other.
Step Two: The next step is to lift the monument off is pedestal and carefully turn it horizontal and lay it carefully down on it rail car. This was done by excavating around the monument to expose the whole thing along with the base. Then they build a foundation on either side of the pedestal on which they constructed a very heavy duty derrick. A collar around the balance point of the stone was attached to the derrick in such a way that the obelisk could be pivoted into a horizontal position. Once the shaft was secured the base could be removed from under it and the train tracks run in between the derrick arms to receive the stone as is was turned horizontal and slowly lowered to the rail car.
Step Three: Was to use ropes to pull the obelisk into a horizontal position. Once the pedestal was remove the stone was free to swivel 90 degrees. Then blocking was brought in and stacked on both ends of the shaft allowing the derrick to be detached. The obelisk was then slowly lowered in small increment by slowly removing the blocking back and forth from one end then the other until it rests on the transport car.
Step Four: Now we are ready for a long ride across the harbor where our steamer, the Dessoug is waiting to be loaded. The total weight of the cargo is about 540,000 pounds. I assume there was a good deal of calculation that went into the placement of all that weight. Most of the planning and oversight of the removal of the Heliopolis Obelisk to New York was done by LT-Comdr. H. H. Gorringe US Navy. After the extensive negotiations with Egypt and receiving a leave from the US Navy; Gorringe then had to raise an insurmountable amount of money to accomplish the task. In August 1879 Mr. W. H. Vanderbilt came to the rescue by underwriting $75,000 of the cost or $2,243,448 in today’s money. For some reason Mr. Vanderbilt’s offer was only good after the successful completion of the work when the obelisk was standing in New York. Finally in June of 1881 the Dessoug was loaded and flouted in a pre-disembarkation test. It was judged to be performing well and ready for the voyage to New York. In his book Gorringe reported some heavy weather but no great difficulty was encountered.
Step Five: Finally on July 19, 1881, two years after sailing out, the Dessoug landed in New York and Anchored off Staten Island. It took until August 5th for the parks department to begin preparing Graywacke Knoll for the foundation of the pedestal. The pedestals’ steps were packed full of lead boxes that had been filled with all sorts of mementos and memorabilia. In November of 1881 they were constructing the turning derrick and rail lines to be used in setting the shaft upright. While the site preparation advanced, the obelisk itself was being removed from the ship. The Obelisk reached the banks of the Hudson River and a special railroad was built to transport it to Central Park. Once across the river it would be maneuvered through the city on its caisson. It landed at 96th Street and proceeded eastward to West Boulevard. It then turned southward to 86th St and crossing 8th Ave into Central Park. In the park a trestle had been constructed to gradually raise the 220 ton stone up to its pivot point some 35 feet above its pedestal.
Step Six: Once the stone was attached to the turning derrick it became a matter of reversing the process used to take it down in Egypt. This was an age when big things were accomplished. A crowd of over ten thousand people came out to watch the enormous stone monolith be swung into position. To set the stone required the replacement and re-fitting of the bronze crabs (each weighing 922 pounds) that the Romans had used to repair the chipped corners at the bottom of the shaft. The originals that were broken when it was dismantled in Egypt are now in the Metropolitan Museum across the street. And this is the short version of how one of New York’s most recognized works of public art came to be. In the end Mr. Vanderbilt was as good as his word and he did pay for the move. The cost did go up a little before it was complete but the civic minded gentleman did cover the whole thing. In the end it cost $3,102,899 in today’s money to go pick up our "gift".
Step Seven: It took 19 days to cross the 86th Street Transverse Road, and another 20 days to move it from Fifth Avenue to its current home—a blizzard hindering the process. During this time, New Yorkers were thrilled with the arrival of this piece of history. Many visited the Obelisk during its transport with hammers and chisels hoping to get a piece of the stone—requiring a guard to protect it around the clock.
The Obelisk was given an official reception in the Great Hall of the Met Museum on February 22, 1881. A large crowd assembled for the celebration, which included speeches, prayers, and hymns.
Cleopatra’s Needle has been standing in Central park for some 140+ years now but that is but a blink compared to is real age of 3,500 some years since Thutmose had order it from the local obelisk shop. The sister obelisk stands in London on the banks of the Thames. Both France and England were given obelisks first and they have their own fascinating stories of how they dragged theirs home. Rome stole so many of them that they have more obelisks today than are left in Egypt. The Popes of course came next and stole them in the name of Christianity after moving them to where they are now. There are many more fascinating stories about obelisks in history and I will add more here as time allows.
The Possible Origin of
"Build Back Better"?
Emperor Nero is best known to us as the guy who fiddled while Rome burned in 64 AD. While he did have an ego bigger than all outdoors, and he did fancy himself as a lute playing rock star; it is doubtful that the imperial bacon ever got close to the fire. While it is unlikely that he started the fire; he no doubt seized the opportunity to appropriate a prime building spot about the size of Central Park for himself.
In the mid-first century A.D. there was no building in Rome as sumptuous, ornate, or grand as the Domus Aurea, or “Golden House,” a lavish imperial residence and sprawling park covering hundreds of acres in an area known as the Oppian Hill between the Palatine and Esquiline Hills on the city’s northern side (think Manhattan). Constructed by the emperor Nero and born from the ashes of the massive A.D. 64 fire that destroyed the city center and cleared the space that it would occupy (perhaps explaining the persistent suspicion held by many Romans that the emperor himself had set the fire) the vast property had hundreds of rooms. There were walls sheathed in polychrome marble, vaults and ceilings covered in vibrant frescoes by the artist Fabullus, and in precious stones, ivory, and gold, and gardens full of masterpieces of sculpture from Greece and Asia Minor. According to the Roman historian Tacitus, who praises the palace’s architects, Severus and Celer, for having the “ingenuity and courage to try the force of art even against the veto of nature.”
The Roman artist Fabullus (origin of the word fabulous?) conceived of even the smallest details of the Domus Aurea’s decoration, including paintings of mythical creatures, fanciful architecture, and naturalistic fauna. Yet the emperor’s extraordinary palace was never finished, and it stood for only four years because on June 9, A.D. 68, Nero committed suicide. After being convicted he was condemned by the Senate to die as a public enemy of Rome so he decided to take matters into his own hands. His death brought to a close the Julio-Claudian dynasty that had begun with Augustus, and ended a reign distinguished by excessive lasciviousness, cruelty, and violence, and that led to civil war. I guess the lesson here is “Never let a used chariot salesman or real-estate developer become Emperor”?
While the Romans had had enough of this monstrous palace, it continued to serve for years to come. The first repurposing was as the building site for the awesome Coliseum. The Coliseum is located on what had been a large, artificial lake within the complex of the Domus Aurea. Vespasian chose this site for the Colosseum with a specific ideological purpose. What land Nero had taken to construct an extravagant pleasure palace was reclaimed by Vespasian and returned to the people. The lake bed was idea because the new Coliseum needed a solid, level building site. And so the wonder that was the palace became the wonder that still is the Coliseum. Still further down the road the mostly forgotten and buried palace was rediscover by the popes who vigorously mined the area for building materials and art objects galore.
Both the construction of the Coliseum and the Papal plunder of the city are whole stories of their own I hope to present in future articles. I stand by my belief that behind the what and why we build speaks volumes about who we are.
The Return of Napoleons’ Body
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Why Are There So Many Sarcophagi?
I would like to share a favorite travel souvenir; my street vendors’ model of Napoleons Sarcophagus made to “celebrate” the return of the Emperors’ body from the British. It was a huge spectacle when the specially outfitted Black Ship returned from St Helena with the coffin. The French had been waiting for years to gain its release and the day had finally come. Once they had the permission to bring Napoleon home the French budgeted a million Francs to build an all-black ship and outfit it with dignitaries to sail to St Helena and dig up the General. Apparently the party aboard were incline to party and stopped at every hospitable port along the way. In the end it took about a year to complete their mission.
The date for the reburial was set for 15 December, 1840. Victor Hugo evoked this day in his Les Rayons et les Ombres. Despite the temperature never rising above 10 degrees Celsius, the crowd of spectators stretching from the Pont de Neuilly to the Invalides was huge. Some houses' rooftops were covered with people. Respect and curiosity won out over irritation, and the biting cold cooled all restlessness in the crowd. Under pale sunlight on new snow, the plaster statues and gilded-cardboard ornaments along the parade route produced an ambiguous effect upon Hugo. Hugo also wrote: “Suddenly, cannon fire all at once from three different points on the horizon. This triple noise simultaneously encloses the ear in a tremendous and superb kind of triangle. Distant drums are beating in the fields. The emperor's carriage appears. It had been veiled until then, but at the same time the sun reappears so did the Emperor. The effect is extraordinary. In the distance it could be seen slowly moving, amid steam and sunlight, upon the grey and red background of the trees of the Champs-Élysées, past tall white statues that resembled phantoms, a sort of golden mountain. One could not yet make out anything but a kind of shimmering light that made the whole surface of the carriage glitter sometimes with stars, sometimes with lightning. A vast murmur enveloped this apparition.” The golden glow was from one of many sarcophagi that would be used over the next 10+ years that Napoleon sat around waiting for his final resting place. Until then nobody really knew what the final tomb would look like so they fed the demand for mementos by casting models of proposals, or working from their own imaginations.
I am sure somewhere in the confusion of that first day a cottage artesian was hawking his recently created models of what he imagined would be Napoleon Tomb which had not yet been designed or constructed. His little models were affordable, being crudely cast from iron. But they were not intended for the wealthy or they would have been made of bronze, sharply cast and highly tooled. These were common wares produced for people of limited means. Around the lid in raise letters written in French it says “Here lies the body of Napoleon the Great” On top is his sword and tri-corner hat. Inside is the emperor himself! Because these were not well made or of fancy materials and not considered artistic; people did not take the best care of them like other Grand Tour pieces and very few of them remain in the world. It is funny how lack of perceived value has created these little models to become rare and there of more value than when they were first produced?
I have three sarcophaguses in my collection. This iron one, a similar one made of bronze and fitted to be a desk top inkwell, and the last is the one is a newer solid bronze of the actual tomb that still exists and holds his remains today. One parting footnote to this small history. In all the time it took to get the Emperor properly enthroned for perpetual rest; His body sort of deteriorated to the point where they just cremated him. It just seems to be to be an anticlimactic end to his pompous return home?
The Column of Emperor Phocas
Rome was full of large monumental columns built to honor various political and or military figures. It is a wonder that so few of these were reproduced as souvenirs to the hordes of tourists that evolved in the 1800’s. A few of the more well-known were made but there did not seem to be a great demand for the lesser known dignitaries. One that was reproduced in a seemingly large number is the Column of Emperor Phocas. This was in fact the last great monument built in Rome, but that is not the reason why this one was more in demand.
The joke about this monument is that Phocas was about one of the most unimportant individuals ever honored with a column. It was built at the time when the empire was in decline. The Senate had already split the empire into four sections, each with its own Emperor. Phocas was the ruler of the eastern Byzantine part, and considered pretty unimportant to the western Empire elites. One day Phocas for some reason decided to show up in Rome and they had to receive him like one would the families black sheep. To make it look like they cared they robbed an already carved column from their monument scrap yard, and set it up on a long abandoned base. They ground off the old inscription on the base and chiseled in “Rome loves Phocas” or something like that on it. I have no doubt the statue on top was also repurposed with a brand new head. It was common for the ever practical Romans do that in those days. Shortly after the imperial visit the Empire completely collapsed. Phocas certainly would have been lost to the dustbin of history except that this second rate, second hand column was re-discovered just as the Grand Tour was firing up. The pope quickly laid claim to it and rebranded it with some saint on top. However, because it was the “new discovery” right in front of all the tourists; everyone assumed it was important, and many more copies were made and distributed than of other much more important historical figures. Timing of course is everything and Phocas lives on today where so many heroes who actually did something have been forgotten.
FONTAINE DU PALMIER
When I first saw this listed in an auction catalogue it surprised me first because it was out of place in that auction, and second because it had every mark of a fine Grand Tour item, and lastly because I had never come across it in my research before. Identifying the object was not at all difficult as it is a French landmark that is still in Paris today.
At the start of the 1800s during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte I, he commissioned the construction of different water fountains that would provide fresh drinking water to the locals in different areas of Paris along with a more elaborate one that were designed more for pleasure. It was designed by the engineer François-Jean Bralle, who was in charge of the Paris fountains and water supply during the First Empire, and was finished in 1808. The column, modeled in the style of Roman triumphal column. It takes its name from what people thought were palm leaves at the top. The motif as actually an interpretation of Egyptian architecture commemorating Napoleon's just completed Egyptian Campaign. I believe the column was designed after the Papyrus and or Lotus Columns Napoleon had just been exposed to on his campaign to Egypt. The locals likely mistook the column as a palm tree design?
The bands of bronze on the column pay tribute to Napoleon's victories. At the top of the column is a statue of Victory made of gilded bronze, carrying the laurels of victory honoring the Grand Army of the Republic. On the sides of the column were cornucopias terminating in Dolphin heads that spouted the public water supply for this part of Paris. This was one of the first introductions of Egyptian art forms to be displayed in the west and it quickly became a favorite site for the new breed to traveler, the Grand Tour Tourist, to visit.
The lower basin of the fountain was added in 1858 during the reign of Emperor Louis Napoleon when the Place du Châtelet was expanded and the fountain relocated to its center during the renovation. At that time the base was also decorated with statues of Egyptian sphinxes spouting streams of water which further fed the public fascination in Egyptian decorative arts. This is no doubt one of the first seeds from which the Art Deco style emerged in the early 1900’s.
It is a very rare bronze reduction likely made to commemorate the remodel of the plaza done in 1858. It is a darkly patina bronze on a Griotte Rouge marble base. When I took it apart for its 165 year cleaning, I found it had been marked H.P. by the maker, Henri Picard. Picard had a shop in Paris producing high end decorative objects to the wealthy and Napoleon was known to be among his patrons. There are records that talk about the popularity of the fountain with the tourist, and I surmise Picard saw an opportunity to cash in and produced some souvenir replicas to sell?
I was unable to locate another one for comparison and was beginning to appreciate how rare it must be. I then called a friend who actually travels the world chasing these things to ask if he has ever seen one before and he sort of laughed. No, he had never seen one before in any of the records, collections, museums or auction catalogues; not until 6 weeks before when he found one hidden on the back bottom shelf of a tiny antique shop in New Jersey very near to where I have just come across this one
GIOTTO’S CAMPANILE
Giotto's Campanile is a free-standing Bell Tower that is part of the complex of buildings that make up Florence Cathedral on the Piazza. Giotto’s Campanile is among Florence’s finest examples of gothic architecture. This freestanding 278-feet tall bell tower forms part of a complex of resplendent landmarks that decorate Piazza del Duomo. The tower was begun in 1334 and completed in 1359.
I have come across many models of the tower but they tend to be small and not great representations of the actual campanile. Last November I was looking at auction catalogues and there it was; a 14” tall finally carved white alabaster highly detailed model of the bell tower. My first reaction was that it looked just like the delicate carvings of St. Johns Baptistery, the Leaning Tower, and the very rare Basilica that were carved in Pisa in the mid 1800’s. These were done in fine alabaster and whitened with a mixture of bone ash and lye. However, I have only seen the technic used to model items from Pisa. I started my research and did discover a very similar one has sold at auction a few years ago but it was only 8” tall and went for a very low price. That was discouraging until I discovered the same one in a well known collection. While the quality and craftsmanship was undeniable, I needed the pedigree to commit top dollar to chasing it. I was counting on the auction being somewhat obscure and hoping I had discovered a truth that most competitors failed to notice. In the end I had one bidder to contend with and was surprised how easily that person gave up.
My best guess is this was made about 170 years ago and nothing short of a miracle that it has survived at all. Note that the twisted columns carved between the belfry windows are less than 1/8” in diameter. Also note the bell that can be seen behind the windows. How did this survive maids and admirers who want to look with their hands instead of their eyes? No matter how, it is a very rare object in pristine condition. Without any comps to value it against I have used similar models of the Pisa baptistry as a comparable. I believe that in a good auction this should bring in a similar value and could do better in the right setting. To me it is a joy that I even came upon it and a total delight to find I own it!
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A TALE OF TWO COLUMNS
I purchased a box of pieces or fragments of two large “Rosso Antico” red marble columns from the auction of a prominent New Orleans estate. These were once a pair of Grand Tour Souvenirs that were copies of ruined Roman monuments. One is Trajan's Column, a Roman triumphal column that commemorates the Emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. It was constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate about 110 AD. It is located in the north end of Trajan's Forum. In back-to-back wars fought between A.D. 101 and 106, the emperor Trajan and tens of thousands of Roman troops, crossed the Danube River and defeated a mighty barbarian empire on its home turf twice, then systematically wiped it from the face of Europe. The loot he brought back was staggering. One contemporary chronicler boasted that the conquest yielded a half million pounds of gold and a million pounds of silver, not to mention a fertile new province and copious numbers of slaves.
To commemorate the victory, Trajan commissioned the construction of a forum or commercial district that included a spacious plaza surrounded by colonnades, two multistoried libraries, a grand civic space known as the Basilica Ulpia, and a temple. The forum was considered to be “unique under the heavens,” and still marvels visitors today. Towering over it all was a stone column 126 feet high, crowned with a bronze statue of Trajan. Spiraling around the column like a modern-day comic strip is the pectoral narrative of the Dacian wars.
The monument stood as a tribute to the empire until what I call the second sack of Rome. That was the renaissance when the popes began mining the ruins for pre-finished building materials for the construction of the new capitol, the capitol of Christianity. The great bronze statue of the emperor himself that once crowned the top of the column was replaced with the statue of St. Peter; generously added by Pope Sixtus V in 1588. The colonnade around the plaza was removed and used to define the grand plaza in from to the new Basilica of St Peter. Roman basilicas were simply large public meeting spaces. That was before before the Christian era when they became large churches.
The Second Column is in much better condition and has all its original marble. This one is the Marcus Aurelius Column in the center of the Piazza Colonna in Rome. Because the original dedicatory inscription has been destroyed, it is not known whether it was built during the emperor's reign or after his death in 180; however, an inscription found in the vicinity attests that the column was completed by 193. The column's shaft is 97’ high, on a 33’ high base and was restored by Pope Sixtus V in 1589.
The column is made of Carrara marble and measures 12’ in diameter. It contains a stairway of 200 steps within the column up to a platform at the top. Just as with Trajan's Column, this stairway is illuminated through narrow slits into the exterior relief depicting the Emperors many victories and conquests. Originally the top platform had a statue of Marcus Aurelius, but it was removed and switched with St. Paul (to go with that of St. Peter on Trajan's Column) after Christianity took reign as the dominant religion.
The columns are each 33” tall and weigh almost 18 pounds each. A pair of garnishees like these would have only gone to the best palazzos, chateaus, or country estates and were not mass produced. They are about 200 years old and there are not a lot of these to be found. I knew that they could be restored even if at a great cost. I also knew they would likely go for a real premium in a good auction.
What I did not know was how they would be further broken in shipping by some gorilla in brown shorts! Yup, they broke the broken pieces even more. In the end I was not too put out because the insurance was more than enough to cover it, and may have paid for a disproportionate part of the already planned restoration. I also had to face the reality that 25% of the Trajan column was missing all together. The construction of Rome had exhausted the world supply Rosso Antico marble long ago. Even if I could find matching marble, the carving to match the original work would likely be un-affordable. I decided to treat the fragments like a museum and simply infill the missing parts with blanks to maintain the form and display the 75% still remaining in its proper context.
I am generally pleased with the end result and think they display very well. I am confident they will readily sell in an appropriate auction. While the loss of parts will take away from the overall value; I am sure of a substantial return on investment when sold as a pair. For now I am content to just enjoy them as part of my own collection while hunting for my next discovery.
The second column in this pair is a copy of the triumphal column dedicated to Emperor Antoninus. This column was toppled in the sack of Rome and lay on the ground for several hundred years until it was resurrected by Pope Sixtus V who generously put it back together while repurposing it as a Christian monument to St Paul. The rough translations of the Popes inscriptions are as follows. I appears to me that there was some confusion on the part of the pope over which column he actually was using as this column is actually the column of Marcus Aurelius and not that of Emperor Antoninus?
Backside Plinth Inscriptions
Marcus Aurelius emperor armenis parthis Germanis que bello maximo deuictis triumphalem hanc columnam rebus gestis insignem Emperor Antonino pio patri dedicauit .
Marcus Aurelius, emperor of the Armenian Parthians, who defeated the Germans in the greatest war, dedicated this triumphal column to his pious father Emperor Antoninus, distinguished by his achievements.
Rightside
Triumphalis et sacra nunc sum Chritivere Pium Discipulum Ferens Qui per Crucis Praedicationem de Romon is Barbarisq Triumphauit.
I am now triumphant and sacred to Christ, Bringing the Pious Disciple Who through the Preaching of the Cross triumphed over Romon the Barbarian.
Frontside
Sixtus V Pope M. Columnam Hanc Abomni Impietate Expurgate S. Paolo Apostolo Aenea Eius Statua Inaurata Insummo Vertice Posita D D A MDLXXXIX P. IU
Sixtus V Pope M. Purge this Abominable Column with Impiety St. Paul the Apostle with his Gilded Bronze Statue at the top placed in 1609 P. IU
Leftside
Sixtus V Pope took pity on this column Dedicated to Emperor Antoninus that was broken by the fall of the first empire and restored in 1609
