In this work of great expressive power, the great southern sculptor combines his realist language with the classicist inspiration of the monument
The group depicting The Action, 10 metres high and entirely made in gilt bronze, was commissioned to Francesco Jerace from Calabria (1853-1937), together with The Thought by Giulio Monteverde. Jerace, who received the commission in 1907, delivered the work only after the inauguration of the Vittoriano: on 4 June 1911 therefore, a provisional model of equal shape and size had to be placed, to act as a stand-in during the ceremony.
The Action of War appears as a woman with the attributes of Piedmont’s army, namely, the helmet of King Charles Albert, the chain mail with the effigy of the Order of the Annunciation and a flag with the inscription “Italy and Victor Emmanuel”. The figure overlooks a Garibaldi soldier with a ‘gabion’ by his side – i.e. a basket that was filled with earth and used in the barricades to build temporary fortifications - the lion of Venice in the act of trampling an oppressor, a woman with a club, a boy who incites to battle and The Young Italy with the symbols of Freemasonry, compass, square and shining sun on the forehead.
