The Fonte Gaia from Renaissance to Modern Times examines the history of Siena's famous public fountain, from its fifteenth-century origins to its eventual replacement by a copy in the nineteenth century (and the modern fate of both). The book explores how both the Risorgimento and the Symbolist movements have shaped our perceptions of the Italian Renaissance, as the Quattrocento was filtered through the lens of contemporary art and politics.

Chiara Scappini received her PhD in Italian Renaissance art history from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in 2011. Dr. Scappini, a recipient of a Kress Fellowship at the Kunsthistorisches Institute in Florence, is currently the Associate Director of FSU's Florence Abroad Program.David Boffa is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art History at Beloit College in Wisconsin.

List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Preface Chapter One: Siena: Water and Power WaterEarly Medieval Italian FountainsSienese FountainsChapter Two: The first Fonte Gaia Decoration of the first fountainSource of water for the first fountainHistory of the first Fonte GaiaJacopo della Quercia’s Fonte Gaia and the chronology of its executionIdentifying the Fonte Gaia’s parapet sculptures Acca Larentia and Rhea SilviaJacopo della Quercia’s Parapet Statues Mother Earth and GaiaReasons why the parapet sculptures were changed to refer to Gaia and other precedents for the iconography of the Fonte GaiaInfluence of Jacopo della Quercia’s Fonte Gaia in the fifteenth centuryChapter Three: A history of disrepair Section IReasons why the Fonte Gaia was damaged in situ: Jacopo della Quercia’s choice of materialsReasons why the Fonte Gaia was damaged in situ: civic events and festivals [markets, Palio, buffalo hunts]Section IIMotivation for the fountain’s removalMilanesi’s crusade to save the Fonte GaiaSarrocchi carves a replacement for Jacopo della Quercia’s Fonte GaiaFate of Jacopo della Quercia’s sculptures after their removal from the Piazza del Campo The relationship between Bruni’s drawings and Sarrocchi’s sculptures Section IIIThe cleaning of Jacopo della Quercia’s fountain piecesNew discoveries: what the restoration uncoveredChapter Four: The nineteenth-century Fonte Gaia Section ILife of the sculptor, Sarrocchi in Antonio Manetti’s studio Italian PurismThe artistic climate at the Academy: Lorenzo Bartolini and Giovanni DuprèSarrocchi’s early careerSection IIGiuseppe PartiniSarrocchi’s Fonte Gaia Commission and ReceptionFaithful copy or Purist revision? The differences between Sarrocchi’s Fonte Gaia and Jacopo della Quercia’s original monumentConclusionAppendice I Preliminary research on the condition of Jacopo della Quercia’s Fonte Gaia/ Dismantling of Jacopo della Quercia’s fountain and the treatments used in its cleaningDocuments Bibliography