Fountain of Neptune

work by Ammannati and Calamech

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June 26, 2026

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The Fountain of Neptune in Florence's Piazza della Signoria is a significant work by Italian sculptor and architect Bartolommeo Ammannati. Created between 1567 and 1570, it features a colossal marble statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. This fountain marks a transition in architectural style from the Renaissance to the Baroque.12

Ammannati, who also designed the Ponte Santa Trinita bridge, was a prominent artist in Florence, serving the Medici family. The Neptune Fountain is considered one of his most visible works and was intended to rival Michelangelo's David, which is also located in the Piazza della Signoria. The fountain's design and the colossal figure of Neptune are characteristic of the Mannerist style prevalent in the late 16th century.13

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Bartolommeo Ammannati
…contains elliptical arches, and the Fountain of Neptune (1567–70); the latter, in the Piazza della Signoria, features a colossal marble statue of that deity. In his old age Ammannati was strongly influenced by the Counter-Reformation philosophy of the Jesuits. He repudiated his earlier nude sculptures as lustful, and he designed…
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…contains elliptical arches, and the Fountain of Neptune (1567–70); the latter, in the Piazza della Signoria, features a colossal marble statue of that deity. In his old age Ammannati was strongly influenced by the Counter-Reformation philosophy of the Jesuits. He repudiated his earlier nude sculptures as lustful, and he designed…
Read More