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Marforio

Marforio is a Roman marble sculpture dated to the 1st century, depicting a river deity. The bearded figure is shown reclining, with his head resting on one arm; his torso is bare, while the lower part of his body is draped. It is one of the few ancient sculptures preserved in excellent condition. In the Middle Ages, it still stood on the Forum Romanum near the Arch of Septimius Severus, and it is mentioned in the Itinerarium from Einsiedeln and De mirabilibus urbis Romae. In the 16th century it became one of Rome’s "talking statues." In 1587 it was moved near St. Mark’s Basilica, then to the Capitoline in 1592, where it was restored by Giacomo della Porta and placed in a fountain niche before Palazzo Nuovo.

Marforio, a white marble reclining river god with a bearded upper body, set in an architectural niche.
Marforio shown as a reclining marble river god with a muscular, bearded torso and ornate base.
November 2007 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marforio marble statue of a reclining bearded man in a stone basin
Marforio, the reclining marble figure, shown within a stone fountain setting.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Marforio marble fountain statue reclining on a rocky base with a grotesque face spouting water below.
Marforio, the reclining marble statue in Rome’s Capitoline Museums, shown above a fountain basin.
© · CC BY 2.0
Marforio, a reclining stone male figure with water flowing from a beast-head spout into a basin.
Marforio fountain with a reclining stone figure and water spouting into the basin.
© Unknown artistUnknown artist · CC BY 3.0
Engraving of Marforio, a reclining bearded male statue on a mound with ruins in the background and a small seated figure nearby.
Marforio depicted as a reclining classical statue in an engraving with Roman ruins in the background.
1584 © Rijksmuseum · CC0

Identification

TitleMarforio
Alternative namesMarphurius; Marfório
TypeAncient Roman marble sculpture

Historical context

Date1st century CE
PeriodRoman era

Creator

CreatorUnknown

Discovery and provenance

Associated basin at discoveryFound with a large circular granite basin, described as black-and-white granite in some accounts, apparently bearing the inscription "mare in foro"
Name originProbably derived from the Forum of Mars / Martis Forum where it was found; other proposals connect it to the inscription "mare in foro" or the Marioli / Marfuoli family
Original findspotThe area known as the Forum of Mars / Martis Forum
Discovery dateAround 1510
Discovery placeForum of Augustus, near the Temple of Mars Ultor, in the area later called the Forum of Mars

Physical characteristics

SizeColossal; enormous
PoseReclining, half-lying on a rock with the head resting on one arm
ConditionPreserved in excellent condition
Figure shownA bearded reclining river god
Previous identificationsPreviously identified as Jupiter, Neptune, Oceanus, the Tiber, or a personification of the Nera River

Materials

Main materialMarble
Associated basin materialGranite

Appearance

Lower bodyCovered with drapery
Upper bodyBare torso

Iconography and meaning

FunctionOne of the talking statues of Rome, used for public satire
Satirical textsPasquinades and other anonymous satirical writings were posted beside it, usually mocking prominent public figures and Roman power
Satirical styleOften in verse or dialogue form, as if the statues were communicating with one another
Rival statuePasquino
Relationship to rivalMaintained a friendly rivalry with Pasquino for centuries
Subject interpretationProbably a river god; some later interpretations identify him as Neptune, Oceanus, or the Tiber

Location and ownership

Current locationCourtyard of Palazzo Nuovo, Capitoline Museums, Rome
Historical locationsNear the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum; moved to Piazza di San Marco in 1588; moved to Piazza del Campidoglio in 1592; moved to the courtyard of Palazzo Nuovo in the mid-17th century

History and restoration

Fountain contextInstalled as the central figure of a fountain designed by Giacomo della Porta and associated with Michelangelo's design on the wall of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, facing the Palazzo dei Conservatori
Public accessUntil 2008 the courtyard was freely accessible; afterward it became part of the Capitoline Museums visitor route
Later relocationMoved again in the mid-17th century by order of Pope Innocent X, when the Palazzo Nuovo was built around the fountain
Early referencesMentioned in the Itinerarium of Einsiedeln and De mirabilibus urbis Romae; Poggio Bracciolini described it as a surviving sculpture from antiquity
RestorationRestored in 1594 by Giacomo della Porta / Roger Bescapè; missing arms and attributes were recreated, and parts of the face, right foot, and left hand were reconstructed, including a shell attribute
Renaissance statusBecame famous as one of the talking statues of Rome and gained particular notoriety during the Renaissance
Early fameA landmark in Rome by the late 12th century

Significance

Relative famePossibly the best known of the talking statues after Pasquino
Symbolic statusA symbol of Rome since the end of the 15th century

Other

Engraving depictionDepicted in an engraving by Antonio Lafrery in Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (1550), with a poem explaining the legend of Marforio