The Fountain of the Naiads ( it, Fontana delle Naiadi) is a fountain in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy, located at the centre of the Piazza della Repubblica on the

Viminal Hill The Viminal Hill ( ; la, Collis Vīminālis ; it, Viminale ) is the smallest of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. A finger-shape cusp pointing toward central Rome between the Quirinal Hill to the northwest and the Esquiline Hill to the southeast ...

. The fountain was created by the architect Alessandro Guerrieri in 1888. Its four bronze sculptures of

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

s created by

Mario Rutelli Mario Rutelli (Palermo, Sicily, 4 April 1859 – 1941) was an Italian sculptor. Biography From a native British family which long ago moved from France to Italy (Rudelle at first), Mario's father Giovanni Rutelli was a prominent architect in ...

were added in 1901 and Rutelli's central sculpture of the god

Glaucus In Greek mythology, Glaucus (; grc, Γλαῦκος, Glaûkos, glimmering) was a Greek prophetic sea-god, born mortal and turned immortal upon eating a magical herb. It was believed that he came to the rescue of sailors and fishermen in storms ...

was added in 1912.

History

The Fountain of the Naiads has its background in a desire to display water from

Acqua Pia Antica Marcia The Acqua Pia Antica Marcia or Aqua Pia was an aqueduct in Rome. It was first built as a restoration of the classical Aqua Marcia by Luigi Canina, commissioned by Pope Pius IX. Its city terminus was the '' Fountain of the Naiads'' in the Piazz ...

, built as a restoration of the ancient

Aqua Marcia The Aqua Marcia ( it, Acqua Marcia) is one of the longest of the eleven aqueducts that supplied the city of Rome. The aqueduct was built between 144–140 BC, during the Roman Republic. The still-functioning Acqua Felice from 1586 runs on long ...

and commissioned by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

, and was made to create something monumental for the Via Nazionale. The current structure replaced a temporary fountain which had been inaugurated on 10 September 1870. The new fountain was built in 1888 and was designed by the architect Alessandro Guerrieri who decorated it with four plaster lions. In 1897, the sculptor

created a set of bronze statues which replaced the lions. The new version of the fountain was inaugurated in 1901. Rutelli's original centre piece was considered unsuitable and moved to the garden of the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. It was replaced by a 1912 sculpture group by Rutelli before the fountain was re-inaugurated in 1914.

Description

The Fountain of the Naiads is located at the centre of the Piazza della Repubblica on the

. The fountain basin is circular and made of concrete. It includes a high central water jet and a number of lateral jets. At night, the fountain is illuminated by

LED lights An LED lamp or LED light bulb is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and can be significantly more efficient than mos ...

. Around the basin are four bronze sculptures depicting

s, who are water

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

s from

classical mythology Classical mythology, Greco-Roman mythology, or Greek and Roman mythology is both the body of and the study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans as they are used or transformed by cultural reception. Along with philosophy and polit ...

. They are the Nymph of the Lakes, who is shown together with a swan, the Nymph of the Rivers, who rests on a river monster, Oceanina—the Nymph of the Oceans—who is taming a wild horse representing waves, and the Nymph of Groundwater, who reclines on a dragon's back. At the centre of the fountain, a sculpture of the sea god

symbolises the domination over natural forces. Glaucus is depicted as a naked and muscular man and the sculpture is reminiscent of the works of

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

. He holds a dolphin from whose mouth the central jet emerges. Fontana delle Naiadi (Ninfa dei laghi (DSC2833).jpg, The Nymph of the Lakes Fontana delle Naiadi -Ninfa dei fiumi ( DSC2841).jpg, The Nymph of the Rivers Nymph of the Oceans in Fontana delle Naiadi (Rome) east view.jpg, The Nymph of the Oceans Nymph of the rivers in Fountain of the Naiads - lateral view.jpg, The Nymph of Groundwater The Fountain of the Naiads is associated with

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

, of which it is regarded as one of the principal examples in Rome. According to the writer and journalist Willy Pocino, it "is considered the most beautiful of Rome's modern fountains".

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Naiads In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

Infrastructure completed in 1888 Outdoor sculptures in Rome Sculptures of gods Sculptures of classical mythology Horses in art Sculptures of dragons Art Nouveau sculptures and memorials