Мастай де Феретти (Mastai de Feretti)

THE FOUNTAIN IN PIAZZA MASTAI

In the early 1860s the pope decreed the making of a new large building, whose purpose was to house Rome's tobacco manufactory. The site chosen was Trastevere, a district that in those days was still entirely made of small lanes and old houses, inhabited by the working class.
the Renaissance-looking fountain in piazza Mastai Architect Andrea Busiri Vici, who was in charge for the alterations to be carried out locally, in order to make enough room for the factory, was also asked to design a fountain, with which the square in front of the building would have been decorated.
Probably busy with the first part of his commission, the architect drew the fountain almost copying the guidelines that three centuries earlier Giacomo della Porta had used for most of his works: in fact, its shape is more typical of a Renaissance creation, rather than a 19th century one.


An octagonal basin with straight sides rests above a short flight of three steps, bearing the crest of Pius IX and the work's finishing date: 1865. Centrally, a baluster shaped as four fish with entwined tails supports a second round basin, from where the water is spouted into the larger one below by four small lion heads.
The top part of the baluster consists of four putti holding over their heads the third final element; the latter is the only part that does not recall della Porta's style, but Carlo Maderno's own, as it is convex and covered with a scaly texture, that makes the water run along its surface and drip down, almost a small replica of the one belonging to the twin fountains in St.Peter's Square (see page 13).



Busiri Vici's fountain may be criticized for its lack of originality; nevertheless, its design is elegant and harmonic. It also shows how much influence della Porta kept exerting on Rome's architecture, in particular on fountain-making, despite two centuries and a half had already elapsed since his death, and despite the fantastic creations of the Baroque age had deeply changed the city, during the same 250 years.

WORLD MEDALS ITALY No.: 1408 Estimate: £ 60.- Vatican, Pius IX, Mastai-Ferretti (1792-1846-1878), Vatican Council, Copper Medal, 1869, by Ignazio and [reverse] Francesco Bianchi, bust left in cap and cope, rev Christ gives the keys to St Peter, 74mm. Nearly extremely...

ITALIE - ЙTATS DE L'ЙGLISE - PIE IX (Jean-Marie Mastai Ferretti)
Seconde partie du Pontificat - (1849-1878)
[AD] 1921. 20 Lire, (16/06/1846-7/02/1878), 1868, An XXII, Rome, R, 38.731 ex, (Or, 21 mm., 6 h., 6,44 g.). (pd. th. 6,451 g.). 900°/°°
A/ PIVS. IX. PON. - MAX. AN. XXII. Buste du Saint-Pиre, Pie IX а gauche ; dessous, motif floral.
R/ *STATO* PONTIFICIO*. au centre dans une couronne de chкne en trois lignes : 20/ LIRE/ 1868 ; а l'exergue R.
cannelйe, P.532 - V.292 (R) - G.13 (R) - PC.3333 - F.280. Bel exemplaire pour ce type souvent usй.
1866 marque l'adoption du systиme dйcimal complet avec la Lire comme unitй monйtaire et le rattachement des Йtats de l'Йglise au systиme de l'Union Latine crйй en 1864. Ces piиces furent fabriquйes entre 1866 et 1870. En 1870, les troupes italiennes s'emparиrent de Rome, malgrй la prйsence de troupes franзaises chargйes de dйfendre l'intйgritй de la ville. Ce type fut dйmonйtisй par la loi italienne du 1er octobre 1885 .

Нагрудная звезда
Большого Креста
(Grand Cross Breast Star)

Нагрудная звезда командора
(Commander's Breast Star)