Triton Fountain (Malta)
| Triton Fountain | |
|---|---|
| Maltese: Il-Funtana tat-Tritoni | |
The Triton Fountain in 2012
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| Artist |
Vincent Apap Victor Anastasi |
| Completion date | 16 May 1959 |
| Type | Public fountain |
| Medium | Bronze, concrete and travertine |
| Movement | Modernism |
| Subject | Tritons |
| Condition | Undergoing restoration |
| Location | Valletta, Malta |
| 35°53′44.3″N 14°30′29.8″E / 35.895639°N 14.508278°ECoordinates: 35°53′44.3″N 14°30′29.8″E / 35.895639°N 14.508278°E | |
The Triton Fountain (Maltese: Il-Funtana tat-Tritoni) is a fountain which was located just outside the City Gate in Valletta, Malta. It consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a platter, balanced on a concentric base built out of concrete and clad in travertine slabs. The fountain is one of Valletta's most important Modernist landmarks.
Designed by the sculptor Vincent Apap and the designer Victor Anastasi, the fountain became operational on 16 May 1959. It was damaged when the platter collapsed in 1978, and repair works done in 1986 did not fit in with its original design. The fountain deteriorated in subsequent decades, until it was dismantled in 2017 and sent away for restoration. Works are expected to be complete and the fountain to be back in place by the end of 2017.
The fountain consists of three bronze figures of mythological Tritons holding up a platter. Two of the Tritons are sitting, while the third one is kneeling, and they are balanced on a seaweed base. The face of each Triton is visible when viewed from City Gate. Their posture gives a sense of strength as well as spiral movement, which contribute to the monumentality of the fountain. The water jets were also designed in order to convey the sense of movement. The figures of the Tritons represent Malta's links with the sea, and their design was inspired by the Fontana delle Tartarughe in Rome. After the fountain's platter was damaged in the 1980s, a bronze pillar depicting a flight of seagulls was added to the fountain to support its weight. This will not be included once the current restoration is complete.
The base of the fountain was originally designed with a quadripartite plan inspired by Rome's Fontana delle Naiadi, but this was later changed to a tripartite concentric plan. The base is constructed out of reinforced concrete, and it consists of four concentric water basins. The exterior is clad with a total of 730 tons of travertine slabs from Rome. The outer slabs of the vasca intermedia are decorated with a relief representing foliage.
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