In the picture you can see the "fontana-mostra", of Acqua Felice, commonly called the Fountain of Moses. What is, first of all, a "fontana-mostra"? As the name suggests, it is a special fountain, having a monumental aspect, that its sole purpose is to show, visually speaking, the final stretch of the aqueduct.
In this case we have to talk about the Felice Aqueduct, by the name of Pope Sisto V (Felice Peretti) who, at the end of the the XVI century, restored the last aqueduct of ancient Rome, that one of the emperor Alessandro Severo. Obviously this work had also the practical purpose of bringing the water in the areas and in the districts designed by the city planners of the pope, by means not only of the great fountains like this, but also through other small fountains. Imagine, then, the surprise of the Romans of that time when a man, in this case Sixtus V, was able to run again an ancient roman aqueduct, the last in order of time (the last acqueduct. that one restored by this pope, was built at the 226 a.D.). The ancient Rome, thanks to the 11 aqueducts built in the nine centuries, had an excellent water supply.
Of course, Sixtus V boasted of this, but perhaps with his enthusiasm and haste damaged him. The Fountain of Moses, with its three large niches on which you overlooking three pools and refilled the water gushing from the four lions (the originals came from the Pantheon, but they were brought to the Vatican Museums in order not to expose them to the works of vandalism), is always been considered a bit...ugly and disproportionate! The two obelisks, at the top are far from the whole context of the fountain, with the upper part with the inscription that lacks of harmony with the lower register. So it seems crushed. And then the Moses, which should replicate the much more famous (and well done), by Michelangelo, in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, with its features and volume that are completely ugly comparing them with the masterpiece by Michelangelo. If you want to undestand what I'm talking about, click here. All elements that are not in harmony, that brought this fountain, whose project was designed by Giovanni Fontana (brother of Domenico Fontana, architect to Pope Sixtus V), to be regarded as a true horror!
The Moses in the centre, probably by the sculptor Sormani with the help of Prospero Antichi, is pointing to the rock from which springs water. There is also an anachronism, since Moses holding the "Tablets of the Law", received, however, after the episode of the water from the rock! According to a legend the sculptor was so filled with insults for his labour, which could not handle the shame. He suicided himself! To be fair to the chronicle, the two bas-reliefs at the sides of Moses represent, "Aaron leading the jewish people to the water" (element of the applicant), and "Gideon chooses his soldiers seeing their way of drinking." In addition, other legend he wants the realization of this fountain was less precise because the Pope put hurry to its architects. Wanted at all costs that this prestigious work was finished, to give water to Rome and the prestige of his papacy. For this the documents in which you describe the fountain, sometimes they are confused if not contradictory. Why in such a hurry? Premonitions? Who knows, the fact is that the Pope died after only five years of his pontificate (from 1585, the year of the election of the papacy and of the beginnings of the work to 1590, the year of the death of the pontiff).
