During the nearly five centuries that it stood in the Piazza del Campo, della Quercia's Fonte Gaia fell victim to circumstances that caused and then aggravated its disrepair. The materials used, the monument's configuration and function, the environmental and historical conditions – all contributed to the fountain's decay. These issues are fundamental to understanding the work's history as well as its condition when it was removed from its original location in the nineteenth century. This chapter will consider these and other aspects of the fountain's history, including a discussion of more recent restorations and cleanings that have helped preserve what remains of della Quercia's marbles.

Why the Fonte Gaia Was Damaged In Situ

Jacopo della Quercia's Choice of Materials

The contract of 22 January 1409 between Jacopo della Quercia and the Sienese commune for the Fonte Gaia required that the artist produce a preliminary drawing (Item 1), determined the duration of the project (Item 2), and outlined how Quercia was to be paid (Items 6 and 7). However, it did not specify the material that was to be used for the fountain (see Document 1). In light of this omission it appears that the choice of local marble was assumed, and there was apparently no need to provide any further instruction. From a financial and logistical standpoint this makes sense, as local stone was inexpensive and easily transported. The latter point is especially important, as transport costs (as well as customs) could be significant. Unfortunately, the choice of local stone also contributed to the fountain's eventual decay.

After bronze, one of the most prized sculptural materials during the Renaissance was white marble, valued both for its intrinsic properties and because most ancient examples of sculpture were made from it. Of the available marbles, the best stone, known for its colour and durability, came from the Tuscan town of Carrara, northwest of Florence. Tuscan sculptors had been using Carrara marble since antiquity. It was the preferred stone of the Pisani in the thirteenth century, and over the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries white marble became the customary material for largescale figure carving of the highest quality, first in Italy and then in France.