Fontana delle scimmie, Monument in the Boboli Gardens, Florence, Italy
The Fontana delle Scimmie is a small marble and bronze fountain set in the upper part of the Boboli Gardens in Florence, near the Palazzina del Cavaliere. A putto holding a fish sits above an octagonal basin, with three bronze monkeys arranged around it.
The bronze monkeys were made in the late 16th century by sculptor Camillo Mariani, originally for the villa of the Duke of Urbino near Pesaro. They came to Florence after the marriage of Vittoria della Rovere and Ferdinando II de' Medici, and the fountain was assembled in its current form around 1830.
The three bronze monkeys reflect a taste for rare and strange creatures that was common in Mannerist art circles. Visitors today see copies of the originals, which have been moved elsewhere for conservation.
The fountain sits in the upper section of the Boboli Gardens and requires a walk through much of the garden to reach it, so comfortable shoes are a good idea. The gardens can get crowded in peak season, so an early morning visit tends to make the walk more pleasant.
One of the original bronze monkeys, the one holding a young animal in its arms, is now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while a copy stands at the fountain. The putto figure above the basin is thought to come from an earlier, separate fountain and was repurposed when the current arrangement was put together.
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