Fountain of the Four Rivers
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1651
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1651
- Medium
- Travertine marble and Egyptian granite obelisk
- Size
- Approximately 30 m (98 ft) total height with obelisk
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Bernini designed the Fountain of the Four Rivers for Pope Innocent X, completing it in 1651 in Piazza Navona, Rome. Four massive marble figures represent the Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Río de la Plata, the great rivers of the four known continents. An ancient Egyptian obelisk rises from a hollow rock formation at the center.
The engineering is as impressive as the art. The obelisk appears to balance on thin air above the hollow rock base. Bernini carved a dove (the pope's family symbol) at the top. The fountain is free to see, outdoors, in one of Rome's most beautiful squares. It's the centerpiece of Piazza Navona and one of the finest Baroque fountains ever made.
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About Fountain of the Four Rivers
Four river gods representing the four continents of papal authority: the Nile (Africa), Danube (Europe), Ganges (Asia), and Río de la Plata (Americas). Each figure is 5-5.5 meters tall, carved in white Carrara marble atop a travertine rock base.
Bernini was initially excluded from the competition because Pope Innocent X disliked him. He secretly made a silver model and had it placed where the Pope would see it. The Pope was so impressed he gave Bernini the commission over rival Borromini.
No. That's a popular legend but chronologically impossible. The fountain was completed years before Borromini started work on the nearby church of Sant'Agnese. The Nile's veiled head actually symbolizes that no one knew the river's source at the time.
Piazza Navona in central Rome, Italy. Free to view at any time. The fountain was unveiled June 12, 1651. The Egyptian obelisk at its center was reconstructed by Bernini from five broken pieces found at the Circus of Maxentius.
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