A riotous ensemble from Greek mythology, this extraordinary garden folly at Schloss Schönbrunn was commissioned by Maria Theresia in the 1770s. Neptune, towering aloft in a shell-shaped chariot, trident in hand, is flanked by nymphs, sea goddesses, frolicking half-man, half-fish Tritons, and seahorses. Its symbolic intent – that of a monarch's absolute dominion – would have been obvious to its 18th-century audience.
Neptunbrunnen
Vienna
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Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
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Within the sprawling, partially forested Schlosspark, the beautifully tended formal gardens of the palace, arranged in the French style, are a symphony of…
0.14 MILES
Sitting at the foot of Schönbrunn hill, these quaintly artificial Roman ruins, with their arches, friezes and busts, were created as a folly in the…
0.18 MILES
The original Schöner Brunnen fountain, from which Schloss Schönbrunn gained its name, now pours through the stone pitcher of a nymph near the Roman ruins.
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From 1772 to 1780 Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf added some of the final touches to the Schloss Schönbrunn palace park under the instructions of Joseph II…
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