Luigi Amici, part of the Neptune Fountain Examination Committee, was a sculptor who currently had possession of the marble for the masks and Tritons that would be used to replace the originals in the other fountain. The committee put the candidates through an 8 hour examination in which they tested the hands of the model makers; the committee announced its decision on October 1st 1873. Luigi Maioli fro Ravenna was chosen because he displayed the qualities necessary for the job. The committee believed he would be able to create a harmonious and ornamental fountain.
It seemed that the commission was ready to award Maioli, unfortunately the other contestants felt that the committee was biased and protested against the decision. So the City authority’s appointed a new committee, declaring this new committee would make a wide decision, and that decision would be final. The authorities also wanted to make it clear that the new committee was impartial; they brought in outsiders to judge the fountain models. They invited a Naples architect, a Tuscan designer, and a sculptor from Milan, only the Neapolitan accepted the offer.
The authorities found replacements for the two who declines and these gentlemen arrived in Rome one day before the committee was to meet in order to prepare them for the task. They went around the city to get a good idea of the fountains in the Piazza Navona, to understand Bernini’s style. They sought to understand the key elements of Bernini’s style, as well as comment of the ingenious style of Bernini.