VIENNA - Palais Schwarzenberg, Fountain of Diana
Virtual reconstruction
The Fountain of Diana is centrally situated in the Schwarzenberg park. It was completed ca. 1728 by architect Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. He was also a talented engineer. In fact, following his design, a ‘fire machine’ (an early steam engine) was constructed which was used to pump up water for the park’s fountains.
An engraving based on an excellent drawing by Salomon Kleiner makes it possible to reconstruct the fountain’s original appearance. There were three sculptural groups (probably by sculptor Lorenzo Mattielli). On the left side of the water basin: ‘Deer attacked by Dogs’; in the exedra: Diana and her Companions’ and on the right side ‘Lion attacked by Dogs’. Two reliefs in the exedra showed Latona defending her children Apollo and Diana, and changing peasants into frogs (left side) and Apollo and Diana killing Niobe’s children (right side).
Today, only the fountain’s architecture survives. The original water basin was filled with soil (probably in the 19th Century) in order to create a small garden, with a modest circular basin. The sculptural groups seem to have disappeared. The two reliefs in the exedra wall are still intact (?).
The sculptural groups in the 3D model are details from the engraving. For the reliefs, I used old photographs which I found in the ‘Wien Museum Online Sammlung’.
The video is based on a revised version of my original 3D model of Palais Schwarzenberg and gardens. In the earlier version (2017), the Diana Fountain was only shown in a simplified form.
Palais Schwarzenberg video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/omyL08Vsm7POn7Q.html
© Mark Pieters 3D 2017, 2023
Music:
'Future Glider' by Brian Bolger (KZread Audio Library)