Neptune Fountain & the Thyssen-Bornemisza
Why is it significant?
In the middle of the roundabout, Neptune rides a seashell chariot pulled by two sea horses, a snake coiled in one hand and a trident in the other. Traffic swirls around him on every side, and he does not even blink.
Key Facts
| Place | Neptune Fountain & the Thyssen-Bornemisza |
|---|---|
| Address | Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo, 28014 Madrid, Spain |
| Geo Coordinates | 40.41530, -3.69420 |
| Part of Walk | Madrid's Landscape of Light: The Paseo del Arte, the Prado & the Retiro |
| Generated | Generated |
In the middle of the roundabout, Neptune rides a seashell chariot pulled by two sea horses, a snake coiled in one hand and a trident in the other. Traffic swirls around him on every side, and he does not even blink.
The fountain was designed by Ventura Rodríguez and carved by Juan Pascual de Mena in the 1780s, part of Charles the Third's plan for the boulevard: Cibeles to the north, Apollo in the middle, Neptune here. When Atlético de Madrid win something big, this is where their fans come to celebrate, climbing the fountain and wrapping the god in red and white. Their rivals, Real Madrid, go to Cibeles. The city's whole football geography fits on one avenue.
Now turn to the elegant palace on the corner, the Palacio de Villahermosa. Inside hangs the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, assembled by a German-Hungarian industrial family over two generations. Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza owned one of the greatest private art collections in the world, and several countries courted him for it. Spain won, helped by his Spanish wife, Carmen Cervera, a former Miss Spain. The paintings came on loan in 1992, and the state bought them in 1993.
What makes the Thyssen precious is that it fills the gaps. The Prado is royal taste, old masters, mostly up to 1800. The Thyssen gives you early Italians, Dutch landscapes, the Impressionists, German Expressionists, American painters like Edward Hopper. Inside, the walls are a warm salmon pink, and the story goes that the colour was the baroness's choice.
So you are now standing at the corner of the Golden Triangle of Art: the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen, all within a short walk. Now head north along the central promenade. Halfway, you will pass Apollo on his fountain with the four seasons at his feet, and then you will reach the most photographed goddess in Madrid.