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Neptune and Triton

Neptune and Triton is a 17th-century marble sculpture by the Italian architect and sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. It was made between 1620 and 1624 and stands 182 cm high. The work is now exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Originally, it was used by Cardinal Peretti Montalto as a fountain in the courtyard of his villa in Rome. The sculpture later passed through several owners, including Thomas Jenkins, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Charles Pelham, before being bought by the museum in 1950. Its scene comes from Virgil’s Aeneid, showing Neptune calming the sea while Triton sounds a horn.

Neptune and Triton marble sculpture showing Neptune holding a trident over a kneeling Triton in a museum hall.
Neptune and Triton by Bernini, displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
August 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Neptune and Triton marble sculpture by Bernini shown in a museum hall, with a standing bearded figure over a kneeling figure covering his face.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Neptune and Triton displayed in a museum gallery.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Neptune and Triton sculpture seen from below, with Neptune holding a trident and Triton blowing a conch shell beneath a glass ceiling.
Neptune and Triton viewed from below in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
November 2005 © · CC BY 2.0
Neptune and Triton marble sculpture with a standing bearded figure holding a staff above a kneeling figure covering their face.
Neptune and Triton displayed on a pedestal in a museum gallery.
May 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Detail of Bernini\'s Neptune and Triton showing Triton in profile blowing a shell.
Close-up detail of Triton from Bernini\'s Neptune and Triton.
December 2011 © · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleNeptune and Triton
TypeSculptural group
Titles in other languagesNeptune et Triton (French); Neptuno y Tritón (original title); Nettuno e Tritone (Italian); Neptuno e Tritão (Portuguese)

Historical context

Date of creation1620–1624, with execution given as March 1622 to February 1623 and also 1622–1623 in some sources
Commissioned byCardinal Alessandro Damasceni Peretti Montalto
Commission date1620
Original functionA fountain decoration for the gardens of Villa Peretti Montalto in Rome
Original locationVilla Peretti Montalto, Rome; sources place it on the Viminal Hill and also on the Esquiline Hill
Original settingInstalled in the pre-existing oval pool called the Peschiera or Peschierone, designed by Domenico Fontana between 1579 and 1581

Creator

Status in artist's careerOne of Bernini's earliest works
ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini
Artist professionArchitect and sculptor
Artist nationalityItalian

Discovery and provenance

ProvenanceAcquired by Thomas Jenkins in 1786; sold the same year to Joshua Reynolds; after Reynolds's death in 1792 it passed to Charles Anderson-Pelham, 1st Baron Yarborough; moved to his Chelsea house, Walpole House; transferred by descendants to Brocklesby Park, Lincolnshire, in 1906; purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1950
ExhibitedRoyal Academy, London, in 1938

Physical characteristics

Height182.2 cm

Materials

MaterialMarble

Appearance

Triton formBernini gives Triton two tails that simulate human legs
Drapery detailNeptune's drapery resembles a dolphin's head
CompositionNeptune stands astride Triton, with Triton crouching below him on a half-shell base
Triton depictionTriton is shown as a much younger figure, probably a boy, with defined musculature, leaning forward between Neptune's legs, gripping Neptune's leg, and blowing a shell horn
Neptune depictionNeptune is shown as a mature bearded nude male with a mantle, pronounced musculature, twisting his torso and pointing his trident toward the sea

Technique

Original water featureWater jets originally burst from Triton's horn
PlacementThe sculpture was designed to function as a fountain, with Triton's horn conceived to expel water

Iconography and meaning

SubjectA scene from Virgil's Aeneid and Ovid's Metamorphoses, though the sculpture does not faithfully represent either episode
Mythological figuresNeptune calms the sea to ensure Aeneas's safe passage, while Triton blows a horn signal
Interpretation of Triton's actionTriton's blowing announces the approach of the king of land and oceans
Scholarly interpretationBernini may have merged and reworked literary accounts from Virgil, Ovid, and possibly other sources
Scholarly interpretationThe sculpture has been read as referring either to a Virgilian passage about calming the sea or to an Ovidian passage about Neptune and shell-blowing, but neither source is represented exactly
Scholarly interpretationNeptune's pose, frowning gaze, and proud stance have been interpreted as expressing divine power and ferocious strength
Scholarly interpretationTriton's submissive pose and tense expression create a contrast with Neptune's dominance and contribute to Bernini's animating of myth
Scholarly interpretationThe broken silhouette, dynamic movement, and strong naturalism were viewed as radical or innovative for Bernini's early career and as an early example of Baroque freedom
Scholarly interpretationNeptune's drapery has been interpreted as an allusion to dolphins, transformation, or Ovid's Metamorphoses

Location and ownership

Current locationVictoria and Albert Museum, London
Current ownerVictoria and Albert Museum