marklarmuseau
IMG_8446 Bernini's Danube and Ganges on Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona, Rome, was built on the site of the Stadium of Emperor Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium.
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) designed by architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Naples, 7 December 1598 - Rome, 28 November 1680), topped by the Obelisk of Domitian, brought in pieces from the Circus of Maxentius. So it came home in the end, back at the Isaeum/Serapeum Campense, a large complex of Temples dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis (hence Isaeum) and Serapis (hence Serapeum) in Campus Martius.
Bernini involved his assistants in the execution of the fountain: Ganges (by Claudio Francese identified as Claude Adam or as Claude Poussin - two French sculptors who worked in Rome - according to R. Wittkower), Nile (by Giacomo Antonio Fancelli), Danube (by Antonio Raggi), Rio de la Plata (by Francesco Baratta) represent the four parts of the world known at the time. The rivalry between Bernini and Borromini is usually mentioned to explain the raised hand of Rio de la Plata (which you can see in the image used as background for this page), as if the river was scared that the church built by Borromini could fall on him, but the fountain was designed and completed before Borromini started to design the church. (source : www.romeartlover.it)
Sant'Agnese in Agone (1652-1668)
Piazza Navona
Via S.Maria dell’Anima, 30/A
00186 ROMA
Italy
The building of the church was begun in 1652 at the instigation of Pope Innocent X (born as Giovanni Battista Pamphili, remember the famous Portrait painted by Diego Velázquez that was such an inspiration to Francis Bacon) whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphilj (1644-1650), also by Girolamo Rainardi, now the Brazilian Embassy, is adjacent to this church.
subsequent architects:
1652-1653 : Girolamo Rainaldi (Rome 1570-1655) + son Carlo Rainaldi, responsable for the Greek Cross floorplan
1653-1657 : Francesco (Castelli) Borromini (Bissone, Canton of Ticino 1599 – Rome 1667)
1657-1672 : Carlo Rainaldi (Rome 1611 – 1691)
1667-1668 : Giovanni Maria Baratta constructed the bell-towers, while his brother Giuseppe Baratta completed the grand entrance steps and Gian Lorenzo Bernini supervised the interior decorations
(PS: sources on the dates of succession of architects are unclear or contradictory, so sorry if it's not quite correct)
© picture by Mark Larmuseau
IMG_8446 Bernini's Danube and Ganges on Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona, Rome, was built on the site of the Stadium of Emperor Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium.
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) designed by architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Naples, 7 December 1598 - Rome, 28 November 1680), topped by the Obelisk of Domitian, brought in pieces from the Circus of Maxentius. So it came home in the end, back at the Isaeum/Serapeum Campense, a large complex of Temples dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis (hence Isaeum) and Serapis (hence Serapeum) in Campus Martius.
Bernini involved his assistants in the execution of the fountain: Ganges (by Claudio Francese identified as Claude Adam or as Claude Poussin - two French sculptors who worked in Rome - according to R. Wittkower), Nile (by Giacomo Antonio Fancelli), Danube (by Antonio Raggi), Rio de la Plata (by Francesco Baratta) represent the four parts of the world known at the time. The rivalry between Bernini and Borromini is usually mentioned to explain the raised hand of Rio de la Plata (which you can see in the image used as background for this page), as if the river was scared that the church built by Borromini could fall on him, but the fountain was designed and completed before Borromini started to design the church. (source : www.romeartlover.it)
Sant'Agnese in Agone (1652-1668)
Piazza Navona
Via S.Maria dell’Anima, 30/A
00186 ROMA
Italy
The building of the church was begun in 1652 at the instigation of Pope Innocent X (born as Giovanni Battista Pamphili, remember the famous Portrait painted by Diego Velázquez that was such an inspiration to Francis Bacon) whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphilj (1644-1650), also by Girolamo Rainardi, now the Brazilian Embassy, is adjacent to this church.
subsequent architects:
1652-1653 : Girolamo Rainaldi (Rome 1570-1655) + son Carlo Rainaldi, responsable for the Greek Cross floorplan
1653-1657 : Francesco (Castelli) Borromini (Bissone, Canton of Ticino 1599 – Rome 1667)
1657-1672 : Carlo Rainaldi (Rome 1611 – 1691)
1667-1668 : Giovanni Maria Baratta constructed the bell-towers, while his brother Giuseppe Baratta completed the grand entrance steps and Gian Lorenzo Bernini supervised the interior decorations
(PS: sources on the dates of succession of architects are unclear or contradictory, so sorry if it's not quite correct)
© picture by Mark Larmuseau