Orion Fountain (Messina)
The Orion Fountain ( Italian Fontana di Orione ) is a Renaissance fountain on the Cathedral Square of Messina . It was created by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli , a pupil of Michelangelo , between 1547 and 1553 and is regarded as his most important work. The occasion was the construction of a water pipe to Messina (1530–1547), the monumental end of which was the fountain. During the construction, the cathedral square was also restructured and in 1550 the old church of San Lorenzo was demolished in order to better bring out the Orion Fountain.
The fountain consists of a twelve-sided fountain basin, the sides of which swing in and out in the shape of a cross, and a candelabra-like shaft with two round bowls, so that it can be assigned to the genus of candelabra fountain . The basin and shaft are provided with rich figural and ornamental decoration, which is always connected with the theme of water. The main character of the fountain is Orion , son of Neptunus , accompanied by his dog Sirius. The Messinians liked to see Orion as their mythical founder of the city, even if, according to legend, he only expanded the ancient city - formerly known as Zancle -. Under Orion's platform, four putti ride on water-spouting dolphins. The bowl below appears to be carried by four naiads . Again in the basin below there are four tritons with fish-tailed bodies. The large, polygonal basin is dominated by four crouched figures of old, bearded men as personifications of the four rivers Nile , Tiber , Ebro and Camaro , the torrent south of the city that had been diverted for a better water supply and also fed this well. The basin wall is adorned with herms and relief medallions with scenes from the Metamorphoses and the Fasti of Ovid .
The basic idea behind the program of figures and images of the fountain, in which the highly learned Francesco Maurolico , who is in Messinian service, was also involved, boils down to the elevation of the Camaro torrent to the river and ultimately serves as a city praise for Messina's fame.
The fountain has been surrounded by a fence since 1855; until then the Messinese could draw water from it.
The American art historian Bernard Berenson described the Orion Fountain as "the most beautiful fountain of the 16th century in Europe".
literature
- Karl Moseneder : Montorsoli. The wells. Mäander-Kunstverlag, Mittenwald 1979, ISBN 3-88219-056-6 (At the same time: Salzburg, University, dissertation, 1974: The fountains of GA Montorsoli. ).
Coordinates: 38 ° 11 ′ 32.4 " N , 15 ° 33 ′ 16.5" E