Carbognano, Fontana Nova also called ‘O Mascherò”

THE HISTORY

At the end of the 16th century, in a well-defined perspective of requalification of the village, the “masters of the Castle of Carbognano” Lavinia Della Rovere Orsini and, in her absence, her nephew Giulio Cesare Colonna, were the promoters of a series of interventions that led to the change of the main places for public use in Carbognano. In 1577 the square that today is the Town Hall was levelled. In the same year Giulio Cesare Colonna proposed “for the good and public service to lead the water to the new square and to realize a source”. In the space of a few months he also proposed to the city council the way to pay for the water mains and the construction of the fountain. (ASCC, SAR 2/3, AD – LC, June 23, 1577, c. 43v. 44r.: August 10, 1580, cc. 21v. – 22v. and 21a; cc. 39 r/v.). In 1580 there were still discussions about how the construction would be paid for, and in 1581 a supplier from Nepi was proposed to the council to carry out the works – ducts and the form of the Fountain (ASCC, SAR 2/3, Atti Deliberativi – Libri dei Consigli, December 18, 1580, cc. 41 r./v. ; January 1, 1581, cc. 45 v. – 46v.). A first fountain called Fontana Nova was built, but already in 1586 the Nova fountain was already a source of discord in the village so much so that it was discussed in the city council on the “problems of the Fontana Nova used to wash clothes and make animals drink. It was asked in the same seat that: “the illustrious lord put solutions to limit this havoc by putting fines on women who go to wash clothes at the fountain nova or those who make animals drink”. (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, September 4, 1586, cc. 23v. and 24r.). The reading of the documents proposes us a series of necessary interventions to limit the damages to the construction of the ducts and of the new source. A supervisor was instituted to have the “care of the fountain” (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, November 30, 1588. cc. 33r/v. ). But in 1593 another intervention in the City Council lets us know that the Fonte Nova had not been completely finished, so that: “the Fontana Nova is made by Mastro Antonio mason”. (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, September 19, 1593, c. 222r – 222v.). At the same time, in 1594, another fountain called the “Fontana Freddola” was finished, while it was already necessary to adjust the Fonte Nova (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, June 30, 1594, c. 251r.).  The bridge over the fountain began to be fixed (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, November 29, 1594, c. 257r.), but the work was not done in the best way, so that after two years it was necessary to redo the bridge and the fountain itself, which was making water fall from all sides (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, January 17, 1596, cc. 28v. e29r. February 4, 1596, cc. 29v. and 30r). At the end of 1596 a new fountain had to be conceived and Andrea De Tognetti Scalpellino was entrusted with the task of realizing the stacks of the duct, the vase and the cymatium of the fountain. The contract stipulated on November 21, 1596, testifies a direction of the works given by Troiano Schiratti, nephew of the architect Ottaviano, at whose death (1571) he took over the direction of the construction works of the Papacqua palace in Soriano nel Cimino wanted by the cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo. They are well described the particulars of the execution, of the source defining the parts where to insert the stone “well flayed, … the tubs, the spouts and the steps”. All the work to be finished by Christmas of the same year. (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AD – LC, November 21, 1596, cc 76v. 77r.). At the same time the Community of Carbognano stipulated a contract for the duct of the source, made by “Mastro Antonio Mandica muratore et abitante in Caprarola et Mastro Agostino Muratore habitante in Carbognano, … according to the form and tenor of the design and order left by the hand of Troiano Schiratti Architect in Soriano of which order the said masons say they are fully informed and instructed”. (ASCC, SAR 2/4, AAD – LC, c. 77v. Adi 22 de 9vembre 1596.). The masons promised among other things: “in said duct … to make basins, to put stacks, to make massive pillars of the vase of the fountain and every other thing destined and designated by the said Architect in his order and all the said work to do it well in conformity with the said order and not otherwise at the rate of 25 bolognini the barrel … and moreover said Lords Priors promise to pay to said present and living masons as above respectively all the work done by said masons in the bridge of the said fountain at the rate of four giulii and put the barrel according to the measure made by the said Architect … “. In the deed drawn up by Giovanni Mazzari, the masons received 21 scudi for the work to be done in the ducts, in the fountain and in the bridge over the fountain. (ASCC, SAR 2/5, AD – LC, January 17, 1597, cc. 81v. and 82r.). In June of the following year there were still discussions about how to pay the creditors for the construction of the fountain (ASCC, SAR 2/5, AD – LC, June 1, 1597, cc. 96r. and 97r. In the years following the realization of the new fountain, we see in any case a series of interventions that make us wonder about the quality of the works carried out, so that there are continuous interventions of tidying up (restoration) not only of the fountain but also of the bridge (ASCC, SAR 2/5, AD – LC, July 22, 1607, cc. 143v. – 144r.). The men who had to take care of the fountain and the conduit were also frequently changed (ASCC, SAR 2/5, AD – LC, October 21, 1607, c. 159r. – 159v.). Also the Lord of Carbognano Don Francesco Colonna, like his father, continued to take care of the maintenance of the new fountain by making several interventions: in 1609 he had it fixed because it was leaking water again, and in 1610 he had the covering stones replaced by Mastro Pietro Grandolini (ASCC, SAR 2/6, AD – LC, October 11, 1609, c. 264r.- 265v.; March 4, 1610, cc. 4r – 4v.). In the same place, once the merlons of the ancient castle had been removed, it was necessary to consolidate the bridge and arrange the stones of the bridge. It is probable that it was in this phase of the works that the great lion protome, symbol of the column, was inserted in the center of the prospectus of the fountain. It was only in 1611 that a proposal made by the engineer Giovanni Pietro Branca was put forward and accepted by the council to allow the water to reach the new fountain without problems. (ASCC, SAR 2/6, AD – LC, May 3, 1611, cc. 65v. June 26, 1611, cc. 68r – 69r. ). This intervention was the last important work carried out on the fountain. The fountain had assumed the aspect that we still know today with the structure of the bridge resting behind it. Don Francesco Colonna, appointed 1st Prince of Carbognano in 1630 by Urban VIII Barberini, continued to support and promote interventions for the care of the new fountain, as did all his successors. Thus the documents testify the realization of the fountain in Piazza del Comune at the end of the 16th century, mentioned as Fontana Nova. In recent times the custom of the village, seeing in the big lion’s head a mask, started to name the fountain “del mascherone”, in local dialect “o Mascherò”.

DESCRIPTION

The fountain is articulated in a wall development characterized by a central basin and two side basins of rectangular shape narrower communicating with each other through two spouts. The front of the basins is characterized by rectangular lozenges in terracotta bricks defined by regular peperino ashlars. The tanks rest on a low podium in the shape of a half-moon, integral part of the 2 steps that from the walking surface allow to reach the tanks. The perimeter of the podium is delimited by peperino pillars that thanks to horizontal iron bars delimit the area to the tank. The wall behind the basins, integral part of the fountain, has a vertical development characterized by 4 simple peperino pilasters with simple capitals that separate three large panels with terracotta bricks. The four pilasters virtually support the peperino entablature decorated with simple moldings. Between one pilaster and the other, the red color of the bricks is interrupted at the center by the large marble lion protome, and in the side panels, by simple marble clypeus. From both the clipei and the protome come out the three spouts that supply water to the fountain. At the top of the monument, above the peperino shelf, there is a big marble coat of arms delimited on the sides by two volutes and, even more externally, marble spheres. The coat of arms with 3 ears of corn is that of the Community of Carbognano, with explicit reference to Saint Eutizio and to the miracle of corn. Above the coat of arms the crown indicates the condition of principality, an office taken by Francesco Colonna in 1630. The whole prospectus of the fountain has in the background a wall that supports the bridge of access to the castle formed by ashlars in “pietra di Fabbrica”.