Type: Limited edition prints
Size: 48cm x 33cm
Tirage: 50 copies
A pencil drawing of the statue of Neptune at The Fountain of Neptune (Italian: Fontana di Nettuno) a monumental civic fountain located in the eponymous square, Piazza del Nettuno, next to Piazza Maggiore, in Bologna, Italy.
The fountain is a model example of Mannerist taste of the Italian courtly elite in the mid-sixteenth century.
The statue was an early design by Giambologna and the construction of the fountain was commissioned by the Cardinal Legate Charles Borromeo, to symbolize the election of Borromeo’s uncle as Pope Pius IV.
Neptune stretches his left hand in a lordly gesture, appearing to be aiming to placate the waves; this posture is interpreted as symbolic exaltation of the new power of the Pope Pius IV: just as Neptune was the master of the seas, the Pope was the master of Bologna and of the world.
The trident of the Neptune’s statue inspired and it was used by Maserati brothers as emblem for their first car, the Maserati Tipo 26. This is still today the logo of the Maserati car company.
Neptune (Latin: Neptūnus) is the god of freshwater and the sea in Roman religion. He is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon (Greek: Ποσειδῶν), one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.
In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune is the brother of Jupiter and Pluto; the brothers preside over the realms of Heaven, the earthly world, and the Underworld.
