"the Chimaera...a thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle, and snorting out the breath of the terrible flame of bright fire."
Homer, Iliad (VI.179–182) trans. Lattimore
Hesiod, too, speaks of the Chimera, "a great beast and terrible, and strong and swift-footed. Her heads were three: one was that of a glare-eyed lion, one of a goat, and the third of a snake, a powerful dragon" (Theogony, 320–324, trans. Lattimore). It was killed by the hero Bellerophon, who, "mounted, out of the cold gulfs of the high air forlorn," smote the creature from the back of Pegasus (Pindar, Odes: Olympia XIII, trans. Lattimore). The sculpture depicts the creature already wounded. The left flank is bleeding and the head of the goat droops, its neck dripping blood. Still, the chimera is defiant; the mane and hair along its back bristles, the muscles taut as it crouches to spring at its tormentor.
This magnificent bronze sculpture, the Chimera of Arezzo (where it was found in 1553 and may have been created) is the first listing in the inventory of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Florence). It dates to the late fourth or early fifth century BC and, from the inscription (tinscvil) on the right foreleg, was a votive offering to the Etruscan god Tinia. The inlaid eyes and teeth (of a different metal) are missing, as was the serpent tail, which was restored in 1785. Biting the goat's horn, it is a variation of the original placement, as can be discerned from other ancient representations.
Vasari, who was born in Arezzo, which then was subject to the Republic of Florence, proudly tells of the Chimera's discovery and its arrival there the next year.
"...it is also clear that sculpture was valued and brought to a high degree of perfection in Tuscany. It is impossible to be precise about dates, but from the style of the figures and from the way the tombs and buildings are constructed, as well as from inscriptions in those Tuscan letters, it may be conjectured that they are very old and that they were made at a time of greatness and prosperity. But what more convincing evidence of this can there be than the bronze figure representing Bellerophon's Chimaera which was discovered in our own times, in 1554, when ditches and walls were being built for the fortification of Arezzo? This figure proves that the art of sculpture had reached perfection among the Tuscans in very early times. It is Etruscan in style, and, moreover, there are some letters cut in one of the paws which, it is conjectured (since today no one can understand the Etruscan language), give the name of the artist and possibly the date according to the usage of those times. Because of its beauty and antiquity, this work has today been placed by the Lord Duke Cosimo in the hall of the new rooms at his palace [Palazzo Vecchio], where I recently painted scenes from the life of Pope Leo X. As well as this, in the very same place and the very same style were discovered a number of little bronze figures. These, too, are now in the possession of the duke."
The Lives of the Artists (Preface)
Cellini, too, remarks on the Chimera.
"It was at that time that certain antiquities were unearthed in the countryside of Arezzo, and among them was the Chimera, that bronze lion which is to be seen in the rooms near the great hall of the palace. Besides this a quantity of statuettes were found; they were also made of bronze, covered with earth and rust, and all missing a head or the hands or the feet. The Duke amused himself by cleaning them with goldsmith's chisels. Once when I happened to be talking with his Excellency he handed me a tiny hammer with which I struck the little chisels he was holding. In that way we cleaned away the earth and rust, and spent several evenings at it. Then the Duke set me to work, and I began to restore the parts of the statues that were missing. The Duke enjoyed this little business so much that he had me working during the day as well, and, if ever I was late in arriving, sent for me himself. More than once I explained to him that if I spent the day without working on my Perseus there would be several unfortunate consequences."
The Autobiography (LXXXVII)
References: Giorgio Vasari: The Lives of the Artists (1965) translated by George Bull (Penguin Classics); Benvenuto Cellini: The Autobiography (1956) translated by George Bull (Penguin Classics).
