Fountain of the Four Rivers
Piazza Navona
Rome Italy
2016
by Jennifer

It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life

hear me roar

QUOTE: A Little ZEN for your Thoughts

Piazza Navona is a square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium.

Commissioned by Pope Innocent X Pamphilj (1644-1655) to adorn the square which would have magnified the greatness of his pontificate, it is one of the greatest masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo Bernini . The artist received the commission for its creation after presenting a silver model of the new fountain and, for its execution, he made use of a large group of artists and workers under his direct control: the result is a masterful fusion of architecture and sculpture , capable of expressing movement in every sculptural detail.
The fountain is imagined as a large travertine cliff that supports the granite obelisk, coming from the Circus of Maxentius on the ancient Appian Way. On the corners of the cliff are the monumental marble statues of the four rivers representing the then known continents, also identified by the vegetation and animals sculpted alongside: the Danube by Antonio Ercole Raggi for Europe, with the horse; Claude Poussin 's Ganges for Asia, with oar and dragon; Giacomo Antonio Fancelli's Nile for Africa, with the veiled head (an allusion to the unknown sources) associated with the lion and the palm ; the Rio de la Plataby Francesco Baratta for America with one arm raised (perhaps to shelter from the sun's rays) and an armadillo next to it. On the upper part of the cliff there are two large marble coats of arms of the pope's family with a dove carrying an olive branch in its beak. The dove itself, in bronze, is placed at the top of the obelisk.
Even if the fountain was completed before the church of Sant'Agnese was built, the legend attributes to the gestures of the statues meanings dictated by the rivalry between Bernini and Borromini : the Nile would have a veiled head so as not to see Borromini's mistakes in the construction of the church, the Rio della Plata would raise its arm to prevent the facade from falling. In response, the statue of the saint at the base of the bell tower on the right would ensure the keeping of the church with his hand on her chest.
The fountain was inaugurated on June 12, 1651 , arousing amazement and wonder in the pope and in the observers, as reported by the chronicles of the time and the travellers' stories.