On commission by Marinetta Rapallino, the widow of David Sibilla, who has been a renowned expert in business law, the sculptor Rubatto has designed an impressive tomb, consisting of a high base surmounted by a cylindrical pedestal, on which he has set a statue picturing a crying woman who, kneeling down, is about to lay down a wreath of linden leaves, a symbol of marital love. In fact, the widow wanted a monument which could testify the strong bond she had had with her husband and which, at the same time, could keep alive the memory of the important social role played by her spouse. That’s why Rubatto has carved some symbols connected to the deceased’s job on the basement: a book, a balance, a caduceus (a short staff entwined by two serpents, a symbol of peace and also an attribute of Mercury, the god of trade) and a sword. The monument is completed by two crying geniuses sitting on a pile of books, placed at both sides of the pedestal. One of them has got some poppy seeds, which make reference to the death’s sleep.
In this classical ensemble, the monument reveals some Romanticism, which can be found especially in the sad faces and in the soft light and shade effects.
