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fontana dei fiumi
The fountain was designed by Bernini. The statues which represent the four rivers were sculptured by Ercole Antonio Raggi (the most famous Bernini’s pupil): the Danube; Cosimo Antonio Fancelli: the Nile; Claudio Poussin: the Ganges; Francesco Baratta: the Rio de la Plata.
The fountain is enriched by plants and animals: a horse, a lion, a crocodile and a dolphin.
An obelisk of Domitian age (about 90 A.D.) rises on the fountain leaning onto a thin marble basement, causing fears respect for its stability. Bernini reassured everybody:
He went to the fountain with his assistants and tied the obelisk to the near buildings by means of a silk thread!
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Photo 1, 2: the obelisk
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Photo 3, 4: Danube and Ganges river
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Photo 5, 6: Danube
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Photo 7: Ganges
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Photo 8, 9: Rio de la Plata
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Photo 10: Nile
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Photo 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18: the animals in the mountain
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