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Fontana dello Sprone

Fontana dello Sprone is an early 17th-century Mannerist public fountain in Florence, Italy, at the corner of via dello Sprone and Borgo San Jacopo in the Oltrarno district. It stands at the acute angle formed by the two streets, nestled against a private building. Long attributed to Bernardo Buontalenti and thought to have been completed in 1608, more recent studies identify Francesco Generini as the sculptor, working in 1638–1639 at the end of a water conduit built for Ferdinando II de' Medici. The fountain features a grotesque bearded face with a water spout issuing from its mouth and a swirling marble conch basin below. It was restored in the 17th century by Giuseppe del Rosso and again in 2014.

Fontana dello Sprone stone fountain with a carved bearded face spouting water into an ornate marble basin.
Fontana dello Sprone, showing the carved face fountain and its decorative marble basin.
© · CC BY 3.0
Fontana dello Sprone, a white marble fountain with a grotesque bearded face and conch-shaped basin built into a corner wall.
Fontana dello Sprone in Florence, showing its ornate marble face and shell-shaped basin on a narrow street corner.
© · CC BY 2.0
Fontana dello Sprone illuminated at night, with a carved bearded face pouring water into a shell-shaped basin.
Fontana dello Sprone lit at night in Florence, showing the carved face and decorative basin built into the corner of a building.
© · CC BY 2.5
Lower section of Fontana dello Sprone with a grotesque face spouting water into a circular marble basin.
The lower section of Fontana dello Sprone, showing a grotesque face feeding water into the marble basin.
June 2008 © · CC BY 2.5
The Fontana dello Sprone corner with an ornate Medici shield carving on a stone building facade.
Ornate Medici shield detail on the corner of the Fontana dello Sprone.
February 2009 © · CC BY 2.5

Identification

TitleFontana dello Sprone
English nameFountain of the Spur
TypePublic fountain

Historical context

StyleLate Mannerist style
DateTraditional attribution: completed in 1608; more recent studies: 1638–1639
PurposeTraditional attribution links it to celebrations for the marriage of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena d'Austria; more recent attribution links it to the end of aqueduct works commissioned by Ferdinando II de' Medici

Creator

Designer / sculptorTraditional attribution: Bernardo Buontalenti; more recent attribution: Francesco Generini

Location and ownership

LocationCorner of Via dello Sprone and Borgo San Jacopo, Oltrarno district, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
SettingBuilt into the acute-angle corner (sprone) against a private building / under a private terrace of the Casa dei Frescobaldi
Urban contextAn example of a street-corner projection (sprone) in Florence; not part of the house itself, but an element of urban street furniture

Iconography and meaning

Decorative elementsMedici shield and broad, elegant volutes on the rim
Main figureA grotesque or mascaron face that spouts water from its mouth
Basin shapeShell-shaped marble basin
Name meaningSprone means an acute-angle projecting corner between two streets, from Italian for 'spur'

Physical characteristics

Water featureWater issues from the mascaron and falls into a lower collection/drainage basin

Materials

MaterialsStone; marble basin

History and restoration

RestorationRestored in the early 18th century by Giuseppe Del Rosso, again in 1944 after wartime damage, and in 2014 as part of the FLIC (Florence I Care) project
2014 interventionWorked on by Pantone Restauri, commissioned by the City of Florence and financed by Fondaco Srl of Venice
Former namesFontanello dello Sprone; Fontana della Nicchia

Significance

ReputationConsidered one of Florence's most famous and elegant public fountains, and among the most beautiful in the Oltrarno district

Other

Related exampleA similar structure was made by Fancelli on Piazza del Grano
2014 projectCity of Florence traffic-light installation on the sprone in 1984 was later removed; installation holes remain, and Mario Mariotti made a satirical comment about it