Fountain of The Porter, Rome, Italy
The
Porter Fountain - Late 16th Century
One of Rome's most famous human sculpture water fountains and also one of it's famous "Talking Statues", the "Fountain of The Porter" aka the "Facchino Fountain" represents a water-seller in his characteristic porters uniform or according to some it is dedicated to the wine carriers. No one is quite sure who sculpted this fountain but it has been attributed to Jacopo Del Conte, supposedly between 1587 and 1598. The Facchino fountain was originally sited on the façade of the Palazzo De Carolis in via del Corso, near to piazza Venezia, but since it was moved in 1874 now resides on the Via Lata. When you consider the size of this small water fountain it is hard to imagine how this ""scowling little porter" could have had so much written about it over the centuries. The Fountain of the Porter is an example of one of Rome's "talking fountains". Political satires, known as Pasquinades, written by the Roman populace to ridicule the authorities were attached to this sculpture fountain. This and other talking statues are the means by which Rome has always opposed the arrogance and corruption of the ruling class with great sense of humor, since the early 16th century. Often in the form of a poem, a joke or in most cases as a political satire against the pope they were attached to the fountain, late at night for people to read, before they were confiscated by police in the morning.
Account of the Porter Fountain by Theodor Sprenger
Theodor Sprenger, wrote the following in his Guide to Rome (which may have been published before 1654): "Pasquino has two rivals; one is the Porter Fountain in Via Lata, the other is the one known as Marforio on the Capitoline Hill. The Romans use Pasquino to attack the nobles, Marforio the middle classes and the Porter the common people. The mention of Via Lata Porter's Fountain being a rival of Pasquino (both "talking" statues needs an explanation. The Via Lata in question is not today's very short street of the same name that joins the Corso to the Piazza del Collegio Romano, but what is now the Corso itself. The first evidence of this appears in a plan of the area dated 1661 showing that all the buildings (now the Bank of Rome) were called The Porter's Island' and Via Lata is shown at the back of the same building as at present, but at the corner with the Corso. Following the drawing of the fountain by Parasacchi (1637), we have two views of Via Lata, both from 1665, which show the fountain fairly clearly: one is by Falda, the other by the Dutchman L. Cruyl.