The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575)
Italy. Florence (Firenze)
Piazza della Signoria.
Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the focal point of the origin and of the history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political hub of the city. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_della_Signoria
- Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) -
Because of its size, the statue of Neptune is called “il Gigante” (the Giant), or “al Żigànt” in Bolognese dialect. It was built in 1566 according to the inscription at the base of the fountain, “to serve the people”; namely, to beautify the Piazza Maggiore because it was a stop on the route between the Archiginnasio and the Palazzo del Comune. Freshly elected Cardinal Carlo Borromeo was responsible for wanting the Piazza Maggiore improvements; the work was meant to symbolize the happy rule of Pope Pius IV, his maternal uncle.
A young Flemish man, Jean de Boulogne, was called in from Douai to handle the undertaking. Known as Giambologna, he was eager to prove himself after having just lost the competition for the Fontana del Nettuno in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.
An entire city block was razed to create the fountain, with both houses and shops paying the price. The statue of the god Neptune was placed at the exact point where the cardo and the decumanus – the proto-typical main streets of a Roman city - intersected. The fountain was supplied with water piped in from an ancient underground cistern and a spring found below a convent.
It is said that Giambologna wanted to fashion Neptune with larger genitalia but naturally met with opposition from the Church. However, the sculptor would not be swayed: he designed the statue so that from a particular angle the thumb of the outstretched left hand lines up with the groin area, making it look like an erect penis. According to the prelates, the women of Bologna were so disturbed by the sight that the Church had to put bronze pants on the statue. Actually, the entire fountain has a strongly erotic quality: just take a look at the voluptuous nymphs spraying their breasts with water!
www.italyguides.it/us/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna/piazza...
The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575)
Italy. Florence (Firenze)
Piazza della Signoria.
Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the focal point of the origin and of the history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political hub of the city. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_della_Signoria
- Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno) -
Because of its size, the statue of Neptune is called “il Gigante” (the Giant), or “al Żigànt” in Bolognese dialect. It was built in 1566 according to the inscription at the base of the fountain, “to serve the people”; namely, to beautify the Piazza Maggiore because it was a stop on the route between the Archiginnasio and the Palazzo del Comune. Freshly elected Cardinal Carlo Borromeo was responsible for wanting the Piazza Maggiore improvements; the work was meant to symbolize the happy rule of Pope Pius IV, his maternal uncle.
A young Flemish man, Jean de Boulogne, was called in from Douai to handle the undertaking. Known as Giambologna, he was eager to prove himself after having just lost the competition for the Fontana del Nettuno in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.
An entire city block was razed to create the fountain, with both houses and shops paying the price. The statue of the god Neptune was placed at the exact point where the cardo and the decumanus – the proto-typical main streets of a Roman city - intersected. The fountain was supplied with water piped in from an ancient underground cistern and a spring found below a convent.
It is said that Giambologna wanted to fashion Neptune with larger genitalia but naturally met with opposition from the Church. However, the sculptor would not be swayed: he designed the statue so that from a particular angle the thumb of the outstretched left hand lines up with the groin area, making it look like an erect penis. According to the prelates, the women of Bologna were so disturbed by the sight that the Church had to put bronze pants on the statue. Actually, the entire fountain has a strongly erotic quality: just take a look at the voluptuous nymphs spraying their breasts with water!
www.italyguides.it/us/italy/emilia-romagna/bologna/piazza...