The Dolphin Fountain is the only surviving element of Perin del Vaga’s decorative scheme in the south garden. Built by Silvio Cosini to a design by Perino, it is characterised by a structure of overlapping basins and adorned with finely crafted figures of gryphons, putti and dolphins. Later additions by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, called in by Andrea Doria around 1540, include the sculptural group of the Triton or Satyr riding a dolphin, distinguished by the dynamic ‘serpentine’ twist typical of Mannerist taste.
The Neptune Fountain, commissioned by John Andrea I Doria and executed by Taddeo Carlone, is the central pivot in the organisation of the spaces of the garden: The effigy of the god of the sea, driving a shell-shaped chariot pulled by three sea horses and facing the palace, dominates a twelve-sided pool decorated with eagles clutching snakes and sea monsters in their talons.
