The discovery of Niccolò da Corte's Fountain of the Four Elements is an important contribution to knowledge of Renaissance art which offers a lively insight into the period.
Niccolò da Corte, who was associated in Genoa with two great masters of his stature – Gian Giacomo della Porta and his son, Guglielmo della Porta, – moved to Granada and worked on the sculptural decorations of the Palace of Charles V, where his talent enhanced the mythical palace commissioned by the young emperor, who had fallen in love with the idyllic Alhambra and then decided, for the first time in the history of Spanish kings, to build a similar fortress.
This sculpture-fountain could be cataloged thanks to the study made by Rosario Coppel, a specialist in Renaissance art. In her study, supported by in-depth research, she has explained the attribution to the Italian master in a clear and concise manner. The introduction was written by Margarita Estella Marcos, an expert and great connoisseur of Spanish and Italian sculpture of that period. Both investigators have produced many publications about the practice of collecting and exchanging works of art between Italy and Spain.