The Sketch and Details of the Trevi Fountain
The centre of the façade consists of a section placed forward of the wings, with four Corinthian columns on each side of a central niche. On top, instead of statues, the pediment is crowned by an enormous crest supported by two lions. Unlike the classical, rather plain wings, the central section is brought to life by a fantastic composition: the huge niche contains a mountain, with statues of the nine Muses arranged in very lively poses on the cliff face; at the top of the pyramid is a seated Apollo, with his lyre; in line with the god, at the foot of the mountain, an impatient Pegasus (the wingèd horse) strikes the rock with his hoof, so that water gushes out into three small basins in the form of a short flight of steps; all around Pegasus, strewn here and there in the enormous shallow pool with the fluted edge, are a large number of rocks, with four swans swimming in their midst; plants and bushes grow almost everywhere. In the foreground, the artist has drawn an elegant rider on horseback, probably to give an idea of the size of the immense fountain /slash/ façade rather than as a purely decorative element.
Given that such a very long building – and one that is rather low in relation to its length – never existed, we must ask whether the anonymous artist intended it to refer to the Trevi fountain. The answer this time is not difficult: at the sides of the central section, in the spaces between the outer columns, the two female statues in the niches, and especially the two bas-reliefs above them, correspond almost exactly to the present Trevi fountain. The scenes in the bas-reliefs show, on the right, a woman (the virgin “Trivia”) pointing out the water to the soldiers and, on the left, some more soldiers with Agrippa. There is absolutely no doubt, therefore, that this sketch refers to a Trevi fountain. So far, however, we have no indication as to the date of the sketch and the problem thus arises as to whether the anonymous artist was depicting a fountain that was going to be built, or, inspired by the existing Trevi fountain, was simply letting his imagination run riot. Therefore we must establish whether the sketch is earlier or later than Nicola Salvi’s fountain.
Let’s examine the sketch more closely, both from the artistic point of view and in relation to some of the more important details. Apart from the actual fountain, there is no doubt that despite a few stark elements, the first of which is the almost total lack of a base for the building, the architecture of the façade has much in common with some of Bernini’s constructions: the old Palazzo Ludovisi (partly altered by Carlo Fontana, who turned it into “Pope Innocent’s Curia” – now the Parliament building at Montecitorio) and the original Palazzo Chigi-Odescalchi, both built by Bernini, bear notable resemblances to the building in this sketch. Then, if we compare the drawing to the plan for the eastern façade of the Louvre (never constructed) that Bernini presented in Paris in 1665, it seems to me that the similarity between the architectural styles becomes even more marked. Next Page...
