Emperor Diocletian’s statue revealed in Split
Photo by Slobodna Dalmacija
After 1700 years, Diocletian, or at least his statue, returned to the palace. Thanks to Karlo Grenc who worked tirelessly to realise his idea of creating a statue of Diocletian, the final work of academic sculptor Đani Martinić was finally revealed to the public today in the triclinium of the Ethnographic Museum in Split.
– It took 4 hours to transport the statue from the atelier located on Brda to the palace. It was an adventure trying to move it through the tiny streets, but the statue certainly got the attention of all people passing by – said Karlo Grenc.
Image: HTV screenshot
Even though a debate is still going on about the real appearance of Diocletian, since the only other depiction of him is available on the aqueduct and the antique medallion in his mausoleum which is unavailable to the visitors of the cathedral, Grenc is not worried about it. His plan is to have the sculpture made out of bronze, one day, and every aspect of the statue was done in coordination with professor Nenad Cambi.
This sculpture is supposed to be a part of an exhibition “Diocletian, Salona and Split” which is envisioned as a great promotion of Split with photo walls, sculptures and various other elements, however, funding for the project has still not been completed. At least we can enjoy the statue, which will be on display until October 8th.
