Arch of Peace

Brief Information

The Arch of Peace was conceived as a monument to Napoleon’s victories, but it was completed only under Austrian rule and was named in honor of the peace after the Congress of Vienna. Because of this change of power, it reads not as a simple triumphal sign, but as a structure with an inverted meaning: the form remained victorious, the dedication became peaceful, and part of the decoration directly recalls Bonaparte’s defeat and the return of Austrian power to Lombardy.

The arch stands at the beginning of Corso Sempione and leads into Sempione Park. Originally, it was meant to become Milan’s informal fourteenth gate: the French emperor intended to make a ceremonial entrance into the city through it. Therefore, what matters is not only its height or classical appearance, but also the very idea of the opening as a ceremonial entrance that history reassigned to other victors.

What to Notice First

You can compare the top, middle, and attic of the arch: each level speaks of a different power or idea. At the top stands a bronze sestiga — a Roman carriage drawn by six horses; it is interpreted as the chariot of the goddess Peace with a palm branch, entering Milan. At the corners beside it are four mounted Victories with laurel wreaths, meaning that the language of victory did not disappear here, but was incorporated into a new peaceful meaning.

Below, on the attic, are allegories of four rivers of Lombardy and Veneto: the Adige, Ticino, Po, and Tagliamento. In the middle register, behind the Corinthian columns, are reliefs about Bonaparte’s defeat and the restoration of Austrian rule. The most biting detail is the horses of the sestiga: by the will of the Habsburgs, they were turned 180 degrees, so that their rear side faced France. After this, the entire arch is perceived as a monument in which a political gesture is hidden in the position of a sculpture.