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Wall fountain

Simone Mosca Italian
1527–34
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 503
Born in the stone-working town Settignano and trained by the great architect Antonio da Sangallo (the younger), Simone Mosca worked with leading artists as a sculptor of architectural ornament. This fountain was carved along with a chimneypiece for the Palazzo Fossombroni in Arezzo, of a favored local stone, pietra serena. It vacillates delightfully between architecture and sculpture, striking a balance among the bases, columns, and entablature, on one hand, and the masks, scallops, and vegetal motifs on the other. In these same years, Mosca executed decoration for Michelangelo in the Medici Chapel; the subtle push and pull of surfaces across the fountain show Mosca's grasp of Michelangelo's intentions.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Wall fountain
  • Artist: Simone Mosca (Italian, Settignano 1492–1553 Orvieto)
  • Date: 1527–34
  • Culture: Italian, Florence
  • Medium: Grey sandstone (pietra serena)
  • Dimensions: H. 16'3" (4.953 m.); W. 12'9-1/2" (3.899 m.)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Architectural
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1971
  • Object Number: 1971.158.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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