The fountain was one of the first to be erected in modern Rome; built after the restoration of the Virgin Aqueduct (1570), it was created by the sculptor Leonardo Sormani on a design presented in 1575 by the architect Giacomo della Porta (1533-1602).
All that remains of the original complex today is the stupendous mixtilinear basin in African bigio marble, as della Porta's work was gradually transformed by a series of interventions over time. In 1662, as part of the work promoted by Pope Alexander VII Chigi, the current wide basement was built that repeats the mixtilinear motif of the basin. In 1711 the central obelisk was added, coming from the Iseo Campense and transferred here from the nearby Piazza S. Macuto. The obelisk of Ramses II was placed on an imposing sculptural complex by Filippo Barigioni (ca. 1690-1753), which replaced the 16th-century basin and baluster. During restoration in 1880, the original masks (now in storage at the Museum of Rome) were replaced by 19th-century copies, sculpted by Luigi Amici (1817-1897). Finally, in 1928, the colonnettes and fences surrounding the basin were removed.
The fountain was restored in 1974 and in 1991-1992.