Triton

A Triton with an expressive facial expression, clutching a fish with its mouth wide open between his hands and legs, while standing on a 'floating' conch shell. This is the autograph model by Bernini for the central figure in his Fontana del Moro on Piazza Navona in Rome. The sculpture has a very dynamic appearance due to the torsion in the muscular body and its forward-striding movement. Riding on his enormous shell – in the imaginary direction of the large Fontana dei quattro fiumi in the middle of the piazza – he is propelled by an imaginary wind that makes the locks and beard of the sea creature flutter from behind. The large struggling fish ('dolphin') in the grip of the Triton suggests a huge exertion of strength, which is further enhanced in the executed fountain by the water spurting from the mouth of the animal.