 |
| Fountain in the gardens of the Villa Borghese etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Carlo Rainaldi 1670s British Museum |
The Roman publisher Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi issued four collections of etchings in the 1670s depicting fountains of Rome. Most of these were in high Baroque taste and had been created fairly recently. Few of Rome's now-famous public fountains were included – some (like the Trevi Fountain) did not yet exist. Most of the illustrated fountains were located in courtyards or aristocratic gardens where access would have been restricted to the well-born, well-connected and well-dressed. Many of these private-public fountains did not survive the radical changes in taste that arrived in the near-future of the 18th century.
 |
| Fountain in the courtyard of the Collegio Romano etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Alessandro Algardi 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain in the gardens of Palazzo Farnese etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Girolamo Rainaldi 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain in the gardens of Palazzo Mattei etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain of the Triton in the gardens of Palazzo Mattei etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Gianlorenzo Bernini 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain in the gardens of Palazzo Pamphilij etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Alessandro Algardi 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Neptune Fountain in Piazza Navona etched by Giovanni Battista Falda published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Giacomo della Porta restored and embellished by Gianlorenzo Bernini 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain on the garden front of Porta del Popolo etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Giacomo da Vignola 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain in Piazza del Popolo etched by Giovanni Battista Falda published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Domenico Fontana 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain of San Pietro in Montorio etched by Giovanni Battista Falda published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Giovanni Fontana 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain in St Peters Square etched by Giovanni Battista Falda published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Carlo Maderno 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain in the Belvedere Courtyard of the Vatican Palace etched by Giovanni Battista Falda published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Carlo Maderno 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain (The Rock) in Belvedere Gardens of the Vatican Palace etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Carlo Maderno 1670s British Museum |
 |
| Fountain (The Ship) in Belvedere Gardens of the Vatican Palace etched by Giovanni Francesco Venturini published by Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi fountain designed by Carlo Maderno 1670s British Museum |
I am grateful to the British Museum for the excellent reproductions, especially of the many 17th-century Roman fountains which perished and whose appearance would now be unknown without this evidence.