Fountain of the Sea Horses

The sea horses at the Fontana dei Cavalli Marini belong to mythology. Equine bodies, wings, and curling tails form supports beneath the upper basin. The fountain turns the movement of water into a sculptural arrangement that can be read from several directions.

Its making was collaborative. Cristoforo Unterperger supplied the design, and Vincenzo Pacetti played a central role in developing the sculpture. The city’s heritage record identifies Luigi Salimei with the horses and Antonio Isopi with their wings and tails as well as the central support. Giovanni Antonio Berté made the basin. Naming those contributions avoids reducing a complex commission to a single famous artist.

The fountain was installed during the late-eighteenth-century remodeling of the Borghese gardens. As you move around it, compare the solid parts that carry the basin with the projecting forms that suggest movement. The animals perform both tasks at once. This is an ornamental fountain; use a designated drinking-water fountain to fill a bottle.