Description
FOUNTAIN MASK Italy, 16th century Marble H. 44 cm Our fountain mask represents a fantastic creature, coming out of the imagination of its creator, as was the follie of the Orsini. This Bosco sacro, first mentioned in 1564, is today known as the "Park of the Monsters". The gardens, which extend below the castle of Bomarzo, in the Viterbo area, were probably laid out by the architect Pirro Ligorio (circa 1510-1583), at the initiative of Vicino Orsini and his wife Giulia Farnese. They are presented as a park of monumental sculptures, carved in the local volcanic rock, like the Glaucos, strangely topped by a fire-pot (fig. 1). These works, of which no equivalent is known, immediately fascinated the contemporaries. The correspondence of the poet Annibal Caro (1507-1566) bears witness to this.
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FOUNTAIN MASK Italy, 16th century Marble H. 44 cm Our fountain mask represents a fantastic creature, coming out of the imagination of its creator, as was the follie of the Orsini. This Bosco sacro, first mentioned in 1564, is today known as the "Park of the Monsters". The gardens, which extend below the castle of Bomarzo, in the Viterbo area, were probably laid out by the architect Pirro Ligorio (circa 1510-1583), at the initiative of Vicino Orsini and his wife Giulia Farnese. They are presented as a park of monumental sculptures, carved in the local volcanic rock, like the Glaucos, strangely topped by a fire-pot (fig. 1). These works, of which no equivalent is known, immediately fascinated the contemporaries. The correspondence of the poet Annibal Caro (1507-1566) bears witness to this.
