The monument was created in 1880 by the sculptor Ugo Zannoni.
The protagonist of the sculptural group is Maria Smania, a Veronese noblewoman. The woman, sitting sick in her chair, is surrounded by the affection of her three children: the scene of detachment is made for the first time in a realistic way, far from the dictates of neoclassicism.
Curiosity: Ugo Zannoni, in addition to having made numerous works for the Monumental Cemetery of Verona, is also the author of the monument to Dante, created on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the birth of the poet and located in Piazza dei Signori.