| Il Babbuino | |
|---|---|
| English: 'The Baboon' | |
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| Year | 1581 (Patrizio Grandi) |
| Type | Talking statues ofRome |
| Subject | Silenus Named for its grotesque appearance |
| Location | Via del Babuino |
| Coordinates | 41°54′31″N12°28′44″E / 41.90861°N 12.47889°E /41.90861; 12.47889 |
TheBabuino (Romanesco:Il Babbuino;Italian:Il Babuino,The Baboon) is one of thetalking statues ofRome,Italy. The fountain is situated in front of the Canova Tadolini Museum, invia del Babuino.
The statue is an ancient depiction of a recliningSilenus: a character in Roman mythology, half man, half goat. In 1581, Patrizio Grandi, a rich merchant, built a publicfountain in the formervia Paolina, which he had decorated with this statue. According to the custom established byPope Pius IV, he obtained free water for his house and fields in exchange for donating the fountain to the city.[1] The people of Rome christened the figure "babuino" because they considered it ugly and deformed, like a baboon, and the street was nicknamed the "via del Babuino" as a result, the name eventually becoming the official one. After being moved to various other locations in Rome, the statue was returned to the street in 1957.
Pasquinades – irreverentsatirical inscriptions poking fun at public figures – were posted beside the "talking statues" of Rome in the 16th century. The pasquinades (or, in Italian, pasquinate) ofIl Babuino are more properly calledbabuinate, but the principle of satirical criticism is the same.
The tradition of political comment continued asgraffiti in modern times, to the extent that the fountain was considered an eyesore rather than an asset to this upmarket street. The wall behind the statue was covered in graffiti, although not onBabuino itself. Recently, the wall has been painted with an anti-vandal paint, to prevent the graffiti reappearing.
Media related toFontana del Babbuino (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Fontana dell'Acqua Paola | Landmarks of Rome Babuino | Succeeded by Fontana della Barcaccia |
