Souvenir from 'Ignoto Militi' - The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Italy

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c. 1921

Overview

Cast bronze representation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Italy. It is attached to an arched, light coloured timber backing board.
The original 'Ignoto Militi' is found at the base of the Altar of the Fatherland in Piazza Venezia - a huge monument which celebrates Italian unification and the first king of united Italy.
The part represented on the souvenir is the statue of the Goddess Rome. Beneath her is a wreath and a plaque with decorative leaves around the inscription.

Historical information

The Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers customarily contain the remains of a soldier who is unidentified. The anonymity of the entombed soldier is the key symbolism of the monument. It could be the tomb of anyone who fell in service of the nation, and therefore serves as a monument symbolizing all of the sacrifices. With so many men missing or without known graves, they provided a place for family and friends to grieve, and there was always the hope that their loved one might be the unknown soldier buried in the tomb.
France and the United Kingdom were the first to conduct services at their monuments on Armistice Day 1920. Other countries followed in 1921, including the United States, Portugal and Italy.
There are now tombs of the unknown soldier and unknown warrior throughout the world which represent not only those lost in the Great War, but in subsequent conflicts.
In 1993, a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed at the Australian War Memorial.

The Italian Unknown Soldier was selected from 11 coffins containing bodies taken from various parts of the battlefield by the mother of such a soldier. The casket of the Unknown Soldier was placed on the gun carriage of a cannon and was accompanied by war veterans who had been awarded medals for valour. The coffin was set down on a railway wagon and travelled through Italy over 4 days before being buried on 4 November 1921 in the 'Altar of the Fatherland'. A ceremony is held annually on the same date.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW00044

Item type

Themes

War and Conflict
War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Bronze