vienna168 The Neptune Fountain is situated at the foot of the hill leading up to the Gloriette. It was designed by Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg and finished in 1780. It was conceived as a part of the gardens commissioned by Maria Theresia. At the centre of the figural group above a rocky grotto stands Neptune in a shell-shaped chariot with a trident in his hand. To his left is a nymph, while on his right kneels the sea-goddess Thetis, entreating Neptune to favor the voyage of her son, Achilles, who has set off to conquer Troy. Frolicking at the foot of the grotto are the Tritons, creatures who are half-man and half-fish.