Marforio, the sculptural personification of a river god or Oceanus
This huge statue has been known as Marforio since the twelfth century. The name probably derives from its original location, which in medieval times was thought to have been a "Forum of Mars" (Martis Forum), in the area between the Roman Forum and the Imperial Forums.
The statue is more than six meters (nearly twenty feet)
long. It probably represents the personification of Ocean, the god who reigned over all the world's waters, and dates from the second or third century A.D.
The statue was moved to Piazza del Campidoglio in 1592. Here it was given a new function as part of a fountain in an architectural setting designed by Giacomo Della Porta.
For centuries, Marforio was a "talking statue," like Pasquino, Madama Lucrezia and Abate Luigi, ancient sculptures on which discontented citizens used to post anonymous complaints or invectives against the authorities. (Pasquino was the most famous of the lot). The origin of its name is a matter of some debate. It was discovered with a granite basin bearing the inscription mare in foro, but may take its name from the Latin name for the area in which it was discovered (Martis Forum), or from the Marioli (or Marfuoli) family who owned property near the Mamertine Prison, also near the forum, where the statue was sat until 1588.
When the Palazzo Nuovo was built, the Marforio Fountain became a feature of the courtyard of the newest palace on the Capitoline Hill (1644). When this building was transformed into the Capitoline Museum (1733), the fountain and the architectural perspective were revised by architect Filippo Barigioni, and the statue of Marforio was restored once again, this time by the Roman sculptor Carlo Antonio Napolioni.
Between September 2012 and February 2013, the ancient statue and the fountain, with its water supply and original water features, were restored. The fountain is now fully functional once again.
Musei Capitolini, Rome
Marforio, the sculptural personification of a river god or Oceanus
This huge statue has been known as Marforio since the twelfth century. The name probably derives from its original location, which in medieval times was thought to have been a "Forum of Mars" (Martis Forum), in the area between the Roman Forum and the Imperial Forums.
The statue is more than six meters (nearly twenty feet)
long. It probably represents the personification of Ocean, the god who reigned over all the world's waters, and dates from the second or third century A.D.
The statue was moved to Piazza del Campidoglio in 1592. Here it was given a new function as part of a fountain in an architectural setting designed by Giacomo Della Porta.
For centuries, Marforio was a "talking statue," like Pasquino, Madama Lucrezia and Abate Luigi, ancient sculptures on which discontented citizens used to post anonymous complaints or invectives against the authorities. (Pasquino was the most famous of the lot). The origin of its name is a matter of some debate. It was discovered with a granite basin bearing the inscription mare in foro, but may take its name from the Latin name for the area in which it was discovered (Martis Forum), or from the Marioli (or Marfuoli) family who owned property near the Mamertine Prison, also near the forum, where the statue was sat until 1588.
When the Palazzo Nuovo was built, the Marforio Fountain became a feature of the courtyard of the newest palace on the Capitoline Hill (1644). When this building was transformed into the Capitoline Museum (1733), the fountain and the architectural perspective were revised by architect Filippo Barigioni, and the statue of Marforio was restored once again, this time by the Roman sculptor Carlo Antonio Napolioni.
Between September 2012 and February 2013, the ancient statue and the fountain, with its water supply and original water features, were restored. The fountain is now fully functional once again.
Musei Capitolini, Rome