Triton Fountain
Valletta, Malta · built 1955
The Tritons’ Fountain (Maltese: Il-Funtana tat-Tritoni) is a fountain located in Floriana, Malta. It consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a large basin, balanced on a concentric base built out of concrete and clad in 730 tons of travertine slabs. The fountain is one of Malta's most important Modernist landmarks. Designed and constructed between 1952 and 1959 under three governing bodies, and conceived jointly by eminent sculptor Chevalier Vincent Apap and his collaborator draughtsman Victor Anastasi, the fountain became unofficially operational on Saturday 16 May 1959. The fountain was used as a stage for National Celebrations named 'Mill-Maltin għall-Maltin' and is believed to have jeopardized the relatively compromised structural setup of the sculptural group and consequently contributed to the dramatic collapse of the sculptural group which occurred on Wednesday 1 March 1978 at approximately 14:00hrs. The sculptural group was repaired by Malta Drydocks engineers between January 1986 and April 1987. During this intervention a central sculptural addition consisting of three seagulls and seaweed (also the work of Chev. Apap) was introduced within the sculptural group, however this arrangement subsequently diminished the telamonic role of the mythological Triton figures. The fountain deteriorated in subsequent decades, and was earmarked for relocation in 2010 when the Her
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