Monumento dei Quattro Mori

In Livorno's Piazza Micheli, a marble statue of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici stands above four bronze figures known as the Four Moors. The monument, completed in the 1620s, has become one of the city's most recognised symbols.

Why it matters

The ensemble commemorates Ferdinando I and the naval campaigns of the Order of Santo Stefano against Barbary corsairs. Its composition places the grand duke above the four captives, whose expressive forms draw much of the viewer's attention. The monument's history invites consideration of how a work created to celebrate military victory is read today.

What to notice

Giovanni Bandini carved the marble statue of Ferdinando I, which was placed on its pedestal in 1617. Pietro Tacca created the bronze captives in two groups: the first pair was installed in 1623, the second in 1626. Their distinct poses and features give the base of the monument an unusual dramatic force. The story that Tacca used prisoners from the nearby Bagno dei Forzati as models is a local tradition rather than a documented fact.

Context and history

The monument’s project developed under Ferdinando I and continued into the following decades. During the French occupation, bronze trophies were removed; the remaining figures were later moved for protection during the Second World War. After restoration, the monument returned to Livorno in 1950 and now stands facing the Darsena Vecchia.