The Fountain of the Sea-Horses in the Villa Borghese enjoyed such a reputation in the 19th and 20th centuries that it frequently figured not only in paintings and watercolours but also in photographs and engravings, and became one of the most popular and best-loved spots in the Villa Borghese gardens.

            Part of a project to renovate the gardens masterminded by Prince Marcantonio Borghese, the fountain was made by a team of artists led by the sculptor Vincenzo Pacetti to a design by Cristoforo Unterperger in 1790–1. Pacetti was assisted in his task by the sculptor Luigi Salimei for the horses and by Giovanni Antonio Bertè for the basin.

            The project provided for the demolition both of the boundary wall separating the First and Third Enclosures and of the 17th century Fountain of the Sail with a view to extending the Viale degli Olmi and to setting the new fountain at the very heart of the resulting crossroads.

            The fountain, which still carries an echo of the Baroque, consists of a central column and two tiers of different sizes, the largest of which, in Carrara marble, rests on the tails of the four winged travertine sea-horses. It was apparently Marcantonio Borghese in person who provided the initial input for the design, taking his inspiration from an image depicted in a classical cameo.

In this painting Busse sets the fountain in the centre of his composition. In the distance we can make out tiny figures strolling, while the artist is meticulous in his depiction of the majestic trees and the vegetation surrounding the fountain immersed in the peaceful atmosphere of the Villa, which was still privately owned at the time and open only to a select handful  of visitors.