Plato

From Casa Piatti, in Via Piatti in the centre of Milan, this sculpture portrays the Greek philosopher Plato, whom genealogical mythology held to be the family founder (it was said that the surname “Piatti” derived from the Latin name of the philosopher “Plato”). The inscriptions that accompany the sculpture are important: the name of the Greek philosopher appears on the lunette at the top, and it returns very clearly at the base of the niche, next to the head. A long inscription along the edges of the niche gives us the name of the sculptor, who was himself a member of the Piatti family, and the date the work was made (1478). Lastly, the cartouche in the philosopher’s hand bears a text that sums up Plato’s theory of the body as the prison of the soul.