The handsome river gods of the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the River Plate emerge from a rocky grotto. One of the giant figures supports the papal coat of arms, as water spurts out from all directions overhead. An obelisk at the fountain’s center is upheld by ornament from the mystical and natural worlds. The Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome’s Piazza Navona is irrefutably one of the most beautiful in Europe, and its wisdom has drawn me to it more than any other public place in my memory. I am struck by its timelessness, and have to my own surprise admired its impressiveness for hours on end, forsaking the present to slip into a romantic daydream. I am undoubtedly among many affected by its magnificence; this particular design beat out the competition despite the fact that its creator was not invited to enter the contest. The controversy not withstanding, lovers of the fountain will always revere Gian Lorenzo Bernini because the concept as he imagined it encapsulates far more than the virgin supply of water the sculpture was intended to commemorate (Charles Avery, Bernini: Genius of the Baroque. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2006, p. 196).
During the mid 17th century, Bernini was one of the world’s preeminent sculptors—and by all accounts, the most significant contributor to Roman Baroque architecture. Although his rivals and a few of the leading Roman Catholic figures at the time disliked him, Bernini’s reputation as a virtuoso was undeniable. His enviable creations decorate some of the most important areas of Rome, including many at St. Peter’s Basilica. He is also quite famous for his marble and bronze portraiture of prominent heads of state, including Louis XIV of France and Charles I of England, as well as for the mythical figures he sculpted for the Villa Borghese. Along with dozens of other effigies around the Italian capital, among them “The Ecstasy of St Teresa” and the elephant and the obelisk near the Pantheon, Bernini was also regarded for his work as an architect, a master draftsman, playwright, caricaturist, decorator and designer—an all-around polymath.
The Piazza Navona has been a colorful place since the 1st century, when the Emperor Domitian effectuated a version of the Olympic games on the site. The expansive view of the Roman sky offered by the square provides a hospitable interlude from the stifling city streets in the surrounding neighborhood. During the 1600s, the piazza was flooded on hot August weekends to hold naval races. More than 2000 years since Domitian it is, as ever, a theatrical meeting point where spectators and artists come to see and be seen (Avery 193). The sounds of splashing water are adorned still by the cunning of the Renaissance and the ancient Roman Empire. Sitting in one of the many cafes that dot the piazza one can practically see members of the ruling family, the Pamphili, being ushered in and out of their palazzo by humble servants, vibrant flags waving. Pope Innocent X, the Pamphili in charge at the time, commissioned the renovation of the Sant Agnese chapel as well as remodeling the Pamphili family palace. Under the pontiff’s supervision, the architect Borromini oversaw the works, and it was soon decided that the lengthy rectangular piazza would be best bedecked with a central feature to balance the two previously constructed fountains at each end (Rudolf Wittkower: Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque. London: The Phaidon Press, 1966, p. 30).
The fountain’s genesis gave way to an informal competition and several local sculptors took part in drafting possibilities. The pontiff and the papal architect had determined the design would include an obelisk, and images personifying the four aforementioned rivers. With the help of one of the pontiff’s relatives, Bernini managed to sneak a silver model of his interpretation into the palace for Innocent to chance upon. After coming across it, unable to ignore its splendor, the Bishop of Rome exclaimed begrudgingly that Bernini’s handiwork was too beautiful to reject and could not be glimpsed at all if it was to be ignored (Avery 179).
Upon closer inspection, La Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, as it is know in Italian, is a hodgepodge of temporal and ecclesiastical symbolism. The colossal statues seem to be moving through the river’s mighty current aided by a charging equine figure towards the palm-lined river’s edge. A lion, crocodile, fish and armadillo, supposedly carved by Bernini, personify the animal kingdom. A dove crowns the obelisk, symbolizing the Pamphili, as well as innocence, and the Holy Ghost. For many, it is a representation of the Christian triumph over paganism (Wittkower 30); for others Bernini’s fountain is more of a transcendental metaphor, one that is especially relevant today. Supporters of Freudian psychology might suggest gods and demons are used as a means to explain precisely what is not known, wretched beasts symbolizing the wild fury with which mother earth can destroy man and his constructions. This being the case, fountains like the Four Rivers can be seen as unconscious peace offerings, an attempt to subdue fear and vulnerability in the shadows of evil. The obelisk was a popular symbol dating back to Egyptian times. The monolith was likely utilized in Rome to exalt the divine order of that period; given its role as the upholder of order, real or notional, for millennia, it is no surprise that Rome has been called “the obelisk capital of the world.”
On most days, hordes of tourists and nonessential artists can be seen loitering around the fountain. The feeling that something consequential is always underway in the Piazza Navona is palpable, possibly a testament to the fountain’s distinguished design. A sense of importance is certainly punctuated by the adjacent architecture. Perhaps one of the designer’s greatest strengths was its synthesis of the themes and styles that dominated the Roman Catholic stage into something deeply symbolic of that culture. Though he was not always known for his originality, Bernini was a visionary, revered because he was able to manifest an aesthetic ethos into shapes that reached well beyond function, often to the horror of those who “fanatically advocated ‘truth to material’ and ‘functional art’” (Wittkower 1). La Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi can be compared to other fountains in Rome or Paris insofar as it has been influenced by those fountains and by the classical styles of Greece, France and Rome. But beyond the basic stylistic direction, the fountain stands alone. One can hardly compare Paris to Rome when they are as different as they are beautiful; the same goes for fountains.
Bernini’s detractors might reconsider their positions in lieu of the fact that this fountain is indeed functional art, for beauty and meaning have purpose. The fountain is a vibrant celebration of many people, infinite points in time, the artist, the Pamphili, and the source itself. In a general sense, the model in the Piazza Navona illuminates man’s profound struggle to understand himself and the world around him. But perhaps the tale of the Fountain of the Four Rivers is best viewed in relationship to water, sine qua non for any life form. The Greeks and Eastern civilizations alike believed—as many still do—that the four classical elements: water, earth, fire and wind, inform all of existence. The scientific study of evolution, some philosophies and diverse calendars around the world are based on the movements of these forces; the fountain sheds light on these alternative points of reference. The four rivers and the four cardinal points represented within the sculpture give breath to the continents of India, Africa, Europe and the Americas. As such, the work is a conceptual representation of the world at large, a sumptuous display both actual and abstract of heaven and earth, both past and present. Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is intrinsically awe-inspiring because it was and continues to be in tune with the universe. Sitting beside this truly beautiful monument on a bustling summer day one can’t help but be absorbed by the mystery and dynamism it illustrates.
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