The centrepiece of Piazza IV Novembre, the delicate pink-and-white marble Fontana Maggiore was designed by Fra Bevignate and built by father-son team Nicola and Giovanni Pisano between 1275 and 1278. Bas-relief statues grace the polygonal basin, representing scenes from the Old Testament, the founding of Rome, the seven 'liberal arts', the signs of the zodiac, and a griffin and lion.
The griffin is the symbol of Perugia and the lion that of the Guelphs, the Middle Ages faction that favoured rule by the papacy over rule by the Holy Roman Empire.
