Fountain of the Bees sterling silver replica (Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1644)

The Fountain of the Bees, reproduced by Serra in sterling silver, is a historic fountain in Rome located at the corner of Piazza Barberini with Via Veneto, built in 1644 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. (Weight: 1.1 kg) It was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and completed in April 1644. Fontana delle Api consists of a marble bi-valve shell with three bees of the same material resting on it. The fountain was intended to be a watering trough for horses. An inscription on the shell reads, "Urban VIII Pont. Max., having built a fountain for the public ornamentation of the City, also built this little fountain to be of service to private citizens. In the year 1644, XXI of his pontificate." The "public ornamentation" referred to in the inscription is the Fontana del Tritone (Triton Fountain), which Bernini had completed the year before.