Neptunbrunnen

A riotous ensemble from Greek mythology, this extraordinary garden folly at Schloss Schönbrunn was commissioned by Maria Theresia in the 1770s. Neptune, towering aloft in a shell-shaped chariot, trident in hand, is flanked by nymphs, sea goddesses, frolicking half-man, half-fish Tritons, and seahorses. Its symbolic intent – that of a monarch's absolute dominion – would have been obvious to its 18th-century audience.