The Justice of John Pisano

The National Gallery in Palazzo Spinola seems to be a real hidden treasure of Genoa's historic center. It is interesting to discover that a statue of Justice, sculpted by Giovanni Pisano and part of a sepulchral monument commissioned by the Emperor of Germany Henry VII for his wife Margaret of Brabant, was found in a garden of a Genoese villa and is now displayed in the house that belonged to the Spinola, and previously to the Grimaldi and Doria families, which now houses the gallery.A scale was carved on his chest to signify the fairness of judgment, and on the scroll in his hand is written, " DILEXISTI IUSTITIAM ODISTI INIQUITATEM, " the meaning of which is : you loved justice and hated iniquity, a biblically derived phrase said to have been uttered on his deathbed by Pope Gregory VII in 1085.It is surprising to know that some of the fragments of the funerary monument were found only in the last century, mainly in the museum of medieval statuary of St. Augustine. This shows the importance of preserving and conserving the artistic and cultural heritage so that future generations can appreciate and admire it.