Nereid from the Fountain of Neptune

The Fountain of Neptune in Bologna was completely designed, with the exception of Neptune himself (which was created by Gianbologna), by Tommaso Laureti. Painter, engineer and sculptor from Palermo, he designed and planned the whole structure of the fountain, from its external decorations to the tubes that even nowadays connect the fountain to the cistern on the hills, also designed by Laureti, called the Cistern of Valverde. The base of the fountain is decorated by four Latin sentences that recall its genesis: aere publico meaning built with the citizens money, popoli commodo which reminds us of its service to the people of Bologna, fori ornamento concerning the decorative function of the fountain and the fourth inscription with the date of its construction, 1563. The base is flanked by four nude Nereids, two-tailed sea nymphs. The sensuality of the Nereids caused a great turmoil during the years following its inauguration. The application of the rules by the Council of Trent in 153 and the aim for a higher morality had as result the censoring of art pieces (we may recall that this was the period in which trousers were painted in the Sistine Chapel) and the Nereids were considered outrageous. Apparently, young ladies from good Catholic families in Bologna avoided passing in front of them when reaching into the main square.博洛尼亚海神喷泉（Fountain of Neptune in Bologna）的整体设计由托马索·劳雷蒂（Tommaso Laureti）全权负责，唯有海神本尊的雕像出自詹博洛尼亚（Gianbologna）之手。这位来自巴勒莫的画家、工程师与雕塑家，统筹规划了这座喷泉的全部结构，从外部装饰到输水管道——时至今日，这些管道仍将喷泉与劳雷蒂亲自设计的山间蓄水池相连，该蓄水池名为瓦尔韦德蓄水池（Cistern of Valverde）。 喷泉基座饰有四句拉丁文铭文，用以记述其建造缘起：第一句"aere publico"意为"以市民税款兴建"；第二句"popoli commodo"彰显其服务博洛尼亚民众的公共功能；第三句"fori ornamento"点明其作为城市景观装饰的美学价值；第四句铭文则标注了建造年份1563年。 喷泉基座两侧伫立着四位裸体涅瑞伊得斯（Nereids），即双尾海仙女。这些涅瑞伊得斯的人体美感在喷泉落成揭幕后的数年间引发了轩然大波。153年特伦托公会议（Council of Trent）推行的礼仪规范，以及当时对更高道德水准的追求，最终催生了艺术审查风潮——我们不妨回顾，彼时西斯廷教堂甚至为壁画添绘了裤子以遮掩裸露，而涅瑞伊得斯的形象被认定为伤风败俗。据传，博洛尼亚出身良好的天主教家庭的年轻女性，途经主广场时都会刻意绕道避开这些雕像。