Fontana dell'Acqua Felice
Fontana dell'Acqua Felice | |
|---|---|
| Fountain | |
.jpg) Fontana dell'Acqua Felice | |
| Design | Domenico Fontana |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Coordinates: 41°54′16″N 12°29′40″E / 41.90436°N 12.49442°E | |
The Fontana dell'Acqua Felice, also called the Fountain of Moses,[1] is a monumental fountain located in the Quirinale District of Rome, Italy. It marked the terminus of the Acqua Felice aqueduct restored by Pope Sixtus V. It was designed by Domenico Fontana and built in 1585–1588.[2] It is located at the intersection of Largo Santa Susanna and Via Venti Settembre; across and diagonal from the Largo, is the church of Santa Susanna, while across Via Venti Settembre is the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.
History
At the beginning the reign of Pope Sixtus V (born Felice Peretti) in 1585, only one of the ancient Roman aqueducts which brought water to the city, the Aqua Vergine, was still being maintained and working. Everyone in Rome who wanted clean drinking water had to go to the single fountain near the site of today's Trevi Fountain. Pope Sixtus took on the responsibility of restoring other aqueducts, including the Acqua Alessandrina, which he renamed Acqua Felice after himself.[3] The new fountain that marked the terminus of the restored aqueduct was the first new monumental wall fountain in Rome since antiquity.[4]
The initial effort to build the aqueduct, by architect Matteo Bartolini, was a failure: Bartolini miscalculated the incline of the channel, so the flow of water was much less than needed reach the Quirinal Hill, the intended site of its terminal fountain.[5] Giovanni Fontana took over the building of the aqueduct, which was completed by June 1587. A fountain was constructed by architect engineer Domenico Fontana in the form of an ancient Roman triumphal arch. It featured, as ancient Roman fountains did, an inscription honoring its builder, Pope Sixtus, beneath angels holding the papal coat of arms.
The iconography of the sculptures beneath the arches mingles a biblical and political motifs. The central arch featured a large statue of
The statue of Moses was criticized at the time for its large size, not in proportion with the other statuary, but the fountain achieved its political purpose; it was a statement of how the
References
- ^ "Print | British Museum".
- ^ Marilyn Symmes with Maria Ann Conelli, Fountains as Refreshment" in Fountains, Splash and Spectacle, Water and Design from the Renaissance to the Present. pg. 36.
- ^ Felice in Italian translates to happy or contented.
- ^ Marilyn Symmes, pg. 35
- ^ K.W. Rinne, The Waters of Rome 2010, pg. 126
- ^ Accurata, E Succinta Descrizione Topografica, E Istorica Di Roma, Volume 1; by Ridolfino Venuti; Presso Carlo Barbellieni, Rome (1766); page 73.
- ^ So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to drink."
- ^ Rome et ses environs, Volume 1, by Abbe Andre Manazzale, Chez Cajetan Cambiagi, Florence (1793); page 81.
- ^ Venuti, page 73.
- ^ Il Panteon e le Terme d'Agrippa in Nuova Antologia di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, article by R Lanciani, Rome (1882); page 635.
- ^ Marilyn Symmes, pg. 36
Bibliography
- Marilyn Symmes, (editor), Fountains, Splash and Spectacle - Water and Design from the Renaissance to the Present. Thames and Hudson, in association with the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Smithsonian Institution. 1998.
External links
- Lucentini, M. (31 December 2012). The Rome Guide: Step by Step through History's Greatest City. ISBN 9781623710088.
Media related to Fontana dell'Acqua Felice at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Fontana delle Api |
Landmarks of Rome Fontana dell'Acqua Felice |
Succeeded by Fontana dell'Acqua Paola |