Nicosia & the Piazza del Popolo page 3
The first fountain, which we have met with already, with a square (or maybe already octagonal) water basin at the base and a smaller raised basin, would be the model for his first fountain, the one erected in Piazza del Popolo, and indeed for several others. The second, later altered by Maderno, which had a round basin at the base and another, small raised basin (also round) with four cherubs, inspired a number of his other fountains. Indeed, it might be said that the best kind of fountain della Porta built (those of irregular shape) was the result of a brilliant and talented fusion of the simple architectural lines of these two fountains. When all is said and done, we should be grateful for Jacopo della Porta's ability to enliven and embellish so many streets and squares of Rome with his fountains, some of them exceptionally simple and delicate of line; and he did it on a "production line" basis. After such a lengthy exposition on Jacopo della Porta in which I have dared to express some of my own opinions, with which, naturally, you are free to disagree, I come now to the first fountain erected in Piazza del Popolo. Once again, the source is that hoard of documents dug up from the rich but so little-explored mine of the Rome State Archives. At the time when this fountain was being built, the square looked more like a wide country road than the first square a stranger would meet with on entering Rome from the north. A lot narrower than it is today, still without the two symmetrical churches opposite the gate, the road surface anything but paved, and lacking the tall obelisk, Piazza del Popolo's only "ornament" when the fountain was erected was the church of S. Maria del Popolo.
Valadier's Reorganization in 1800
At this point, you are probably a bit confused because you have in mind the modern square with four fountains, but you must remember that it wasn't until around 1800 that Valadier reorganized the whole square and put in the fountains around the obelisk. No, it's the 16th century fountain I am going to talk about, which was dismantled and later transferred to the peaceful little square in front of the church of S. Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum Hill; later it was again removed and, after lying forgotten in storage at the city museums for ages, was finally rebuilt in 1950, in the little square called Piazza Nicosia, near Via della Scrofa). There, then, in Piazza Nicosia, anyone who wishes can see the ancient 16th century fountain, which is the first of the della Porta fountains; but it must be remembered that all that remains of the original is the fine octagonal basin in "saline marble". The column (or baluster) with the four dolphins, the basin decorated with two dragons and two eagles and, at the top, the scaly patera [shallow offering dish] are all modern, though they have been recreated with good taste and are extremely faithful to the original - something that marks them out as the work of Falda. The eagles and dragons, by the way, are a mistake that ought to be corrected, since they are supposed to represent the coat-of-arms of Gregory XIII Boncompagni, which in fact has four dragons.
 |
 |
 |