Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fountains of Rome in the 1670s

Fountain in the gardens of the Villa Borghese
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Carlo Rainaldi
1670s
British Museum

The Roman publisher Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi issued four collections of etchings in the 1670s depicting fountains of Rome. Most of these were in high Baroque taste and had been created fairly recently. Few of Rome's now-famous public fountains were included  some (like the Trevi Fountain) did not yet exist. Most of the illustrated fountains were located in courtyards or aristocratic gardens where access would have been restricted to the well-born, well-connected and well-dressed. Many of these private-public fountains did not survive the radical changes in taste that arrived in the near-future of the 18th century.

Fountain in the courtyard of the Collegio Romano
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Alessandro Algardi
1670s
British Museum

Fountain in the gardens of Palazzo Farnese
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Girolamo Rainaldi
1670s
British Museum

Fountain in the gardens of Palazzo Mattei
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini
1670s
British Museum

Fountain of the Triton in the gardens of Palazzo Mattei
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini
1670s
British Museum

Fountain in the gardens of Palazzo Pamphilij
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Alessandro Algardi
1670s
British Museum

Neptune Fountain in Piazza Navona
etched by Giovanni Battista Falda
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Giacomo della Porta
restored and embellished by Gianlorenzo Bernini
1670s
British Museum

Fountain on the garden front of Porta del Popolo
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Giacomo da Vignola
1670s
British Museum

Fountain in Piazza del Popolo
etched by Giovanni Battista Falda
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Domenico Fontana
1670s
British Museum

Fountain of San Pietro in Montorio
etched by Giovanni Battista Falda
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Giovanni Fontana
1670s
British Museum

Fountain in St Peters Square
etched by Giovanni Battista Falda
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Carlo Maderno
1670s
British Museum

Fountain in the Belvedere Courtyard of the Vatican Palace
etched by Giovanni Battista Falda
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Carlo Maderno
1670s
British Museum

Fountain (The Rock) in Belvedere Gardens of the Vatican Palace 
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Carlo Maderno
1670s
British Museum

Fountain (The Ship) in Belvedere Gardens of the Vatican Palace
etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini
published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi
fountain designed by Carlo Maderno
1670s
British Museum

I am grateful to the British Museum for the excellent reproductions, especially of the many 17th-century Roman fountains which perished and whose appearance would now be unknown without this evidence.