Fountain of Moses Rome Italy is a photograph by Joan Carroll which was uploaded on April 25th, 2018.
Fountain of Moses Rome Italy
Seemingly misplaced at the intersection of some busy streets and hemmed in by the narrow sidewalks in Rome Italy sits the monumental Fountain of... more
by Joan Carroll
Title
Fountain of Moses Rome Italy
Artist
Joan Carroll
Medium
Photograph - Photography And Digital Art
Description
Seemingly misplaced at the intersection of some busy streets and hemmed in by the narrow sidewalks in Rome Italy sits the monumental Fountain of Moses. Even taking a photo from across the street presents its own modern-day dilemma, picking your way through all the parked scooters to find a place to stand and then wait for a break in the traffic and pedestrians. It hardly seems fitting for such an historic fountain! The Fountain of Moses was built in 1587-1588. At the time only one of the ancient Roman Aqueducts which brought water to the city was still being maintained and working. Everyone in Rome who wanted clean drinking water had to go to a single fountain. Pope Sixtus V took on the responsibility of restoring other aqueducts, including the Acqua Alessandrina, which he renamed Acqua Felice after himself (his real name was Felice Peretti). The new fountain that marked the terminus of the restored aqueduct was the first new monumental wall fountain in Rome since antiquity. The fountain is a blind triumphal arch with three large niches. In the central niche stands a large statue of Moses, flanked on either side by reliefs depicting biblical scenes. In front of the large classical columns that frame the niches stand four water-spouting lions. Above the niches is a large entablature with a Latin inscription that praises the achievement of restoring the ancient aqueduct. The monument is crowned with the papal coat of arms of Sixtus V flanked by two angels. The large statue of Moses in the center comes with its own story. According to local lore the sculptor tried to measure up to Michelangelo, who created the famed statue of Moses in the nearby San Pietro in Vincoli (St Peter in Chains) church. But the sculptor made the mistake of not creating a model and he carved the statue out of a block of marble that was lying on the ground instead of standing upright. As a result its proportions were not correct. When the statue was revealed to the public it was ridiculed, even calling it 'Il Mosè ridicolo' - the ridiculous Moses.
FEATURED PHOTO, New Faa Uploads Limit One Per Day group, 5/26/18
FEATURED PHOTO, Creative Black and White Fine Art Photographs group, 5/22/18
FEATURED PHOTO, Pin Me - Daily group, 5/8/18
Joan carroll, fontana, water, history, italian, tourism, city, architecture, dellacqua, cityscape, ancient, europe, classical, sculpture, square, travel, monument, marble, european, landmark, urban, black and white
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Uploaded
April 25th, 2018
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Comments (44)
Joan Carroll
thank you Frozen in Time Fine Art Photography for the feature in the New Faa Uploads Limit One Per Day group, 5/26/18
Jan Mulherin
Congratulations!! This stunning Black and White image has been selected to be featured for the week in the "Creative Black and White Fine Art Photographs" Group’s Home Page!! You are welcome to add a preview of this featured image to the group’s discussion post titled “2018 May - Stunning Group Featured Images and Thank-you’s” for a permanent display within the group, to share this achievement with others. If enabled, your image will also be posted to our group Google+ page. Thank you for your group participation! ~Jan