Before the Cardinal left Rome in 1587, he was awarded a few ounces of water for his own fountain due to his hard work on the Aqua Felice. This was the same year he purchased the basin, which surely is the fountain still seen today.
Therefore it is possible to determine what year the fountain was built in, but it is hard to determine who built the fountain. The design of the fountain is so simple, that it makes it impossible to determine if a great sculptor even worked on it at all.
There is a small factor that needs addressed regarding the fountain. It pertains to the small stone ball from where a small jet of water cascaded down to the middle of the fountain. Leaving this part out would certainly offend the fountain lovers of Rome.
So why is this little stone ball so important? This little stone ball has been an essential part of the Roman history; something Roman’s will remember even when they cannot remember other important factors of their history. This little ball rolls through the following factors: Romulus and Remus, Julius Caeser, Nero, Pope Sixtus, the ball itself, and Garibaldi.
Through the myriad of people that Rome played host to, n December 20 1655 Queen Christina of Sweden came for a visit. A fun fact about the Queen was that she had a raspy and masculine voice, along with dark and hairy skin, and she actually made the statement, “But why do these women kiss me so ardently? Could it be because they think I’m a man?"
The Queen decided one day to turn against Protestantism, and support Catholicism. Her trip to Rome was to confirm her true belief and support of the religion, and dedicate herself to it. She said of her experience in Rome, “My occupations consist of eating tasty food and plenty of it, sleeping, studying (not much), joking, laughing and going to see French, Italian and Spanish plays, visiting the fountains, and having lots of fun".