Giacomo della Porta's Most Modest Work
Former Piazza Montanara Fountain
As early as the 18th century, or perhaps even before that, Former Piazza Montanara was important because it was filled with workshops that made agricultural tools and because it acted as a kind of open-air Labor Exchange. Every day of the year, laborers come from the fields and vineyards to procure the rural implements sold there, or other things necessary for living. These rustic workers found jobs there working in other people's fields and were taken on and articled by Farm Managers, Foremen or Vineyard Owners who bargain with them according to the days of the season, which makes for longer or shorter working hours. If you want to be considered amongst the "lovers of all things Roman," now is the time to shed a tear for "the vanished city" before turning your attention to the strange yet simple little fountain that used to stand there. When the quaint little square and its picturesque hovels were destroyed to enlarge today's Via del Mare, the fountain was transferred somewhere completely different: the "Park of the Orange Trees" on the Aventine Hill.
This extremely strange Roman fountain consists of a low basin that struggles in vain to appear more noble by sporting a few copies of the civic crest and, in the center, a tall baluster adorned by four large masks spouting water; on top there is an extremely rough and heavy bowl. At present, the fountain is protected by a circle of stumpy posts and an iron railing.
When it comes to the architect, for once I can say that it was not good old Master Jacopo, for the simple reason that the present fountain was only built in Piazza Montanara in 1696. The nearby Roman Monastery of St. Ambrose was granted an ounce of water from the previous fountain on condition that an upper basin was added at the monastery's expense.
So what did the old fountain look like? A payment dated September 4, 1589 in favor of the stonemason Pietro Gucci states: "30 scudi on account of the basin of the fountain in Piazza Montanara which he is to make in travertine stone, as ordered by Master Jacomo della Porta." Luckily, whoever wrote the document about adding an upper basin had the bright idea of attaching a nice little watercolor sketch of the new fountain (which was subsequently built) and, on the opposite side, an image of the Former State of the fountain in Piazza Montanara.
Well, given the extreme poverty of the place for which it was intended, that little fountain, probably also paid for by private individuals, is certainly the most modest of those della Porta built for public use: "Master Jacomo della Porta Architect shall have fully completed the fountain in Piazza Montanara and properly supplied it with water to serve the poor."