Fontana del Cavallo Marino - Palermo

The Seahorse Fountain is a marble statue from the second half of the 19th century by Marabitti in Piazzetta Santo Spirito.

The sculpture depicts a creature that is half fish and half horse , with a triton and two cherubs.

Originally, the fountain was designed for the garden of the palace by order of the Prince of Paternò who, in the second half of the 18th century, commissioned the famous sculptor Francesco Ignazio Marabitti to create a marble jewel for the fountain of the villa at the palace.

Probably due to economic problems, the princes of Paternò were forced to sell the statue, which was purchased by the city council.

After the terrible and violent earthquake of 1823 , which devastated the area around Kalsa and caused the collapse of numerous buildings in the area, leaving the entire area in unprecedented desolation, the administration decided to rebuild the small square and move the fountain there transport, not without some effort.

That was until 1943 when, during World War II , bombing hit the Cavallo Marino, whose parts were miraculously saved and moved to a warehouse in the Palazzo delle Aquile.

It was not until the 1970s that the restoration of the marble statue was commissioned by the Lo Piccolo workshop and sculptor Nino Geraci. Thanks to this important work, the fountain regained its splendor and today it still stands tall and beautiful in the center of the Piazzetta, with its water features and specially made floral ornaments in the flower beds surrounding it.

Willem Vandenameele