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An unbroken evolution of equestrian statues in a funerary context occurred in trecento Verona. It started with a small relief on the sarcophagus of Alberto I della Scala (died 1301) inside Santa Maria Antica, With Giovanni Campione's outdoor tomb of Cangrande della Scala (died 1329) the equestrian became freestanding and life-size. The tomb crowns the portal of the church, a copy replacing the original, now in Museo del Castelvecchio.
Cangrande is in full armour, his winged helmet thrown back and his sword held aloft. His look of self-satisfaction and lordly insouciance are blatant and his slightly awkward smile reminds one of Archaic Greek figures.
This work, not without Germanic influence, spawned a northern Italian tradition for equestrian monuments; Cangrande's successors were also honoured with nearby tombs whose equestrian images lack the vigrous impertinence of Cangrande.
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