CA0420 Grand Tour Model of the Fontana delle Tartarughe in Bronze and Serpentine Marble

Interesting, large, late 19th century Grand Tour green patinated bronze and Serpentine marble model of the late Italian Renaissance Fontana delle Tartarughe (The Turtle Fountain) located in the Piazza Mattei in Rome. The original built between 1580 and 1588 by the architect Giacomo della Porta and the sculptor Taddeo Landini, it features statues of four ephebes riding dolphins on shells around a central fountain. Originally designed to have 4 additional dolphins, low water pressure eventually meant they were removed and replaced by turtles attributed to Bernini in 1658. Good example of a rare Grand Tour architectual model presented on a later associated green Serpentine marble block base. Old repairs and probably replacement turtles. Rome, circa 1890.

Provenance: Rossie Priory, Inchture, Perthshire, Scotland.

Fountain: H 33.5cm cm x W 17cm x D 17cm
Base: H 6cm cm x W 41cm x D 41cm 
Total: H 39.5cm cm x W 41cm x D 41cm