<\/span>More<\/div>\nThe statues of the garden include over 20 whole-body sculptures, whose collocation had been modified several times throughout the centuries by the succession of its different owners. Some historians do not exclude the idea that the entire series might not have been commissioned as a whole and that some of these sculptures were a result of modifications of previous artistic works, whose written identities were cancelled and whose flashy and characteristic iconographic attributes eliminated. The statues situated inside the park may also be grouped according to mythological gods and heroes (Odysseus, Meleager, Hercules, Aphrodite, Orpheus, Dido), biblical characters (Judith, Joshua) and historical and literary heroes (Alcina, Ruggiero, Godfrey of Bouillon, Lucrezia, Cleopatra). Aside from these figures, the personification of the allegories of the vices and virtues, like Anxiety, Glory, Fortune and Sloth were also present. Together with these were the representations of spring and summer and other unknown sculptures, which may have been inspired by classic Greek-Roman culture. It is likely, therefore, that Bartolomeo Arese had chosen for his home, small groups of thematically homogeneous sculptures intended to enrich the interior of the Statue Gallery and the wide and spacious garden originally defined by a typically \u201cItalian\u201d setting, that is, geometrically divided using rows of green trees, fountains, statues and hedges left to the imagination of master topiary carvers.
\nAs to the authenticity of these works, critics most certainly recognize the hand of artist, Giovanni Battista Volpino (news of 1640-1680), who was probably assisted by other exponents of classical sculpture in Milan such as: Giuseppe Vismara, Antonio Albertino, Carlo Simonetta and Dionigi Bussola. In those years, all these artists were active in the beautification of the Cathedral of Milan.
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