Quirinal Hill; Quattro Fontane
Cortona, Pietro da; Fontana, Domenico
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Alternate file
Alternative Title
Quattro Fontane
Date
1588-1593Description
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (also called San Carlino) with Tiber fountain at the corner; Domenico Fontana and his brother Giovanni were involved with water supply projects for Sixtus V including the Acqua Felice aqueduct. The Via Pia (now Via XX Settembre), under which the water was further conveyed, also had to be levelled, and four additional fountains, the Quattro Fontane, were created at the Acqua Felice’s intersection with Sixtus’s new Via Sistina (now Via Quattro Fontane). The intersection is also where the later church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (also called San Carlino) stands. The fountains were built under the management of Muzio Mattei. Two river gods and two goddesses (Juno and Diana) are represented; the reclining male figure with the tree is the Tiber River, and the recumbent male with reeds (no tree) is the Arno River (and symbol of Florence). The fountains of the Arno, Tiber (symbol of Rome), and Juno (symbol of Fortitude) are attributed to Domenico Fontana. The fountain of Diana (symbol of Fidelity) is attributed to the painter and architect Pietro da Cortona. The actual sculptors are unknown. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 4/8/2014)
Type of Work
piazza (square); fountainSubject
architectural exteriors, deities, mythology (Classical), City planning, Fountains, Baroque
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only