Gianlorenzo Bernini
Fontana del Tritone
1643
Piazza Barberini, Rome 
        

THE FOUNTAINS OF ROME

The theatrical open spaces of Baroque Rome were greatly enlivened by fountains, visual pivots for the urban scenery that expressed a connection between nature and artifice. Gianlorenzo Bernini created new concepts and designs for fountains, one of the most famous being the Triton Fountain in the Piazza Barberini (1642-43). He enhanced the pedestal of the fountain by adding exuberant dolphins around the base. Above, the sea god Triton blows a jet of water into the air through a conch shell. Standing in a corner of Piazza Barberini is Bernini's Fountain of the Bees (1644), also commissioned by the Barberini family. Here, the family coat of arms is vividly brought to life in the form of the bees enclosed in the gigantic shell. Soon after, in Piazza Navona, Bernini built his celebrated Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-51). which was adopted as the site of an annual water festival. The great 18th-century tradition of urban embellishment derived from these prototypes is exemplified by the Trevi Fountain (1732-63) by Niccolo Salvi (1697-1751), which was carved by Pietro Bracci and Filippo Delia Valle. The fountain complements the urban scenery and open space, the rigid classicism of its architectural backdrop being contrasted with the exuberant plasticity of the statuary groups.