After a year of restoration works on the water system and extensive cleaning of the stone materials, the Fontana delle Scimmie (Monkey Fountain) at the Boboli Gardens spouts water once again. Located in the Giardino del Cavaliere, the highest part of Boboli, the sculptures were recently replaced by copies for conservation reasons.
Situated in the Giardino del Cavaliere, on the highest part of Boboli
The fountain consists of works by various sculptors from different periods, assembled around 1830. The centre of the fountain is pietra serena and white marble, with three bronze monkeys created by the Vicenza sculptor Camillo Mariani (Vicenza, 1567 – Rome, 1611), for the Duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria II della Rovere. The sculpted putto fisherman was most likely the work of Stoldo or Antonio Lorenzi in the 16th century.
After 30 years, the monkeys spout water once more
Director of the Uffizi Galleries, Eike Schmidt, commented “With the restoration of the Fontana delle Scimmie – after the works already carried out on the one in front of the Kaffeehaus and on that of the Carciofo above the courtyard of Palazzo Pitti – we continue the reparations of the water systems in Boboli and we gradually recover the voice of the fountains, which are among the most important elements of the garden’s identity”.
