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The Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) is one of the most beautiful and famous fountains in Rome. It was designed in 1648-1651 according to the project of the architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, an invaluable person for Rome and the Catholic Church.

But, initially, the sketch of the composition was made by another outstanding Italian architect - Francesco Borromini. He also owns the idea of installing allegorical figures of four rivers in the fountain: the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata. However, the project seemed too simple to Pope Innocent X. Then, the great rival of Borromini, sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, prepared his fountain project, taking Borromini’s idea of the composition, but finished it in his own unique style. «The only way not to employ Bernini,” the Pope reportedly said, “is to never see his designs.”

Here it is worth mentioning the history of the professional rivalry between the two architects. Rivals desperately hated each other, and the whole Rome witnessed their confrontation in words and in stone. Once, building a papal palace Borromini fall into temptation and in order to add salt to the wound, carved a pair of donkey’s ears on one of the walls of the building. Bernini lived right next to the palace, so he responded by having a phallus sculpted on the side of his house, directed towards Borromini.

Everything that happened between them was nothing but a real baroque battle, and the desire to surpass each other brought them to truly masterpiece works of sculpture and architecture.

This is how pride, coupled with talent, sometimes create masterpieces.

1 минута

13 декабря 2022