SPLASH MAKERS
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More than water spills from the great fountains
of Europe.
FROM ITS EARLIEST INCARNATION, the public fountain has served as a
gathering place. In the beginning, villagers came together to collect
water and share the news of neighbors and family. Then the
Renaissance arrived, elevating the fountain's simple function to an art
form rife with symbolism. Figures from the Greek pantheon crowned
many of Europe's grand fountains, personifying the rebirth of ancient
Greece's humanistic ideals. The architects of these fountains sought
also to embody the taming of water – and hence, nature – while at the
same time celebrating its majestic force. Later, war heroes and
dignitaries took the place of Neptune and Apollo, representing
nationalistic principles such as territorial pride or the supremacy of a
great leader. Today travelers from around the world visit these
landmarks to marvel at their artistry, and residents still gather to
celebrate victories, protest injustices, and honor the achievements
memorialized in the eternal elements of water and stone.
FONTAINE DES MERS, PARIS
Water Clear as Crystal
The darkest days of the French Revolution saw the moats encircling
Place Louis XV run red with the blood of those executed under the
guillotine. The revolution passed before the square was renamed Place
de la Concorde and architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff began his
redesign of Paris' largest plaza in 1835. Hittorff resurrected a century-
old plan for twin cast-iron fountains and placed one on either side of
the square's Ramses II obelisk. Archetypal iconography pervades the
fountains' sculpture: Sea creatures represent the mastery of water on
the Fontaine des Mers, while earth and river imagery bedeck the
Fontaine des Fleuves. In 2000, the fountains underwent a renovation
that restored the original bronze, green, and gold hues of the
sculptures, without a hint of red in sight.
CIBELES FOUNTAIN, MADRID
Mother of Gods and Goalies
The Real Madrid soccer fans who gather at Madrid's Cibeles Fountain
whenever their team scores a victory prove this fountain's draw as a
gathering place. Its location on the elegant Paseo del Prado highlights
a model of urban reformation envisioned by Carlos III, who reigned
during the Age of Enlightenment. To express his city's emergent
knowledge of the natural sciences, the king commissioned grand
boulevards, museums, botanical gardens, and extensive landscaping.
Crowning the city's newfound glory: a regal fountain of Cybele, the
nature and fertility goddess of ancient Asia Minor. The Cibeles
Fountain was carved from Toledo marble by sculptors Francisco
Gutiérrez and Roberto Michel and installed in 1786. Lions draw the
statue's chariot, symbolizing Cybele's rule over beasts…and soccer fans.
TREVI FOUNTAIN, ROME
Monumental Movie Star
The Eternal City has more than 200 major fountains, and none more
celebrated than Trevi. Talk about eternal: Trevi was proposed by
Nicola Salvi in 1732 and completed in 1762, but its origins date back to
19 BC, when a young girl guided Agrippa's soldiers to a pristine spring at
the intersection of Rome's original three roads (the "tre vie").
Consequently, the Roman general built the Vergine Aqueduct to carry
water into Rome, and a crude fountain went up at its terminus.
Centuries later, Salvi created a colossal paean to the spring's discovery
and the taming of its waters, depicted by Neptune astride a chariot
drawn by wild horses. But for all its allegory, Trevi is best known to
modern-day travelers for its cinematic charm – as the fountain in which
Anita Ekberg waded in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, and as the subject of the
1954 film Three Coins in a Fountain, which played on Trevi's legend:
that those who throw a coin into its waters are destined to return.
GRAND FOUNTAIN AT TROJA CASTLE, PRAGUE
Clash of the Titans
French formal gardens, Italian villa design, and classic Greek sculpture
come together at Prague's Trója Castle, completed in 1691 as a summer
residence for Bohemian baron Václav Vojtŭc of Sternberk. The
Burgundian architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey spared no expense on this
terra-cotta-and-stucco château – including excavating part of the
hillside to align Trója with Stromovka Park, then the royal game
preserve. The showpiece here is the garden staircase: two ornate
flights of steps flanked by Olympic gods battling it out with the Titans.
The stone deities enact their final victory in the waters of the Grand
Fountain. Trója suffered in the destructive summer floods of 2002,
when the Vltava River encroached upon the garden staircase, lending a
sense of desperation to the Olympians' struggle.
LATONA FOUNTAIN, VERSAILLES
Of Frogs and Men
At Versailles, classically designed fountains showcase the triumph of
one man – Louis XIV – over nature. Versailles' monumental pools, moats,
grottoes, and a mile-long grand canal required a sophisticated
hydraulics system to bring water from the Seine, as well as to drain
area lakes and rivulets. In its heyday, Versailles had 1,400 working
fountains; today there are a mere 300, of which the Apollo, Neptune,
and Latona fountains remain most exceptional. The Fountain of Latona
had special meaning for the monarch. Just as Louis XIV's mother
suffered the disrespect of the people, so did Latona, mother of Apollo
and Diana. In her fury, she turned all detractors into amphibians and
reptiles. Versailles' bronze Latona sits atop a pedestal surrounded by
frogs, salamanders, turtles, and Lycian villagers in various stages of
transformation.
GREAT CASCADE AT PETERHOF, PETRODVORETS
Snatched from the Jaws of Defeat
Unlike Versailles, Peter the Great's summer residence Peterhof on the
Gulf of Finland had an unending water supply. Thus, even more water
features accentuate these imperial parklands. At the center: the 64-
fountain Great Cascade, whose marble tiers lead down from the Great
Palace. Built between 1715 and 1735, the Great Cascade also uses
mythos to celebrate a king's glory. The fountain's golden masterpiece,
Samson Rending Open the Jaws of the Lion, symbolizes the tsar's
victory over Sweden in the Battle of Poltava. Two centuries later, Nazi
occupiers desecrated and stole statues, uprooted thousands of trees,
and blew up the estate's hydraulic works. Given the site's gleaming
condition today, following decades of restoration by hundreds of local
architects and laborers, Samson's triumph takes on a whole new
meaning.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON
Millennial Meeting Place
Since its origins in the ninth century, Trafalgar Square has been a
gathering place for all sorts of crowds: political protesters, fervent
orators, delirious soccer fans, and the ubiquitous pigeon population.
Its current incarnation was completed in 1845. Although massive
Nelson's Column, honoring Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory at the Battle
of Trafalgar, is the centerpiece here, Trafalgar Square architect Sir
Charles Barry opposed its inclusion. He later sought to balance the
imposing pillar by installing two fountains, which also fill space that
might otherwise be taken up by rioters (ironically, their great pools
tend to attract demonstrators on sultry days). Sir Edwin Lutyens,
commissioned in 1939 to remodel the fountains, added bronze sea
creatures sculpted by William McMillan – including mermaids and
mermen riding dolphins, which spray water each morning as Big Ben
chimes.
NEPTUNE FOUNTAIN, BERLIN
Crocodile Tears
No other mythological deity figures as prominently in classical fountain
design as the great god of the sea. Public squares throughout Europe –
and elsewhere – claim a place for bearded Neptune, and Berlin's
Alexanderplatz is no exception. Few figures are more dramatic than
Neptune riding the crest of a wave, trident in hand, sea minions
churning in the waters beneath him. Architect Reinhold Begas, who
created his Neptunbrunnen in 1891, found inspiration in the fountains
at Versailles and the sculptor Bernini, whose Fountain of the Four
Rivers in Rome included representations of the four rivers of Paradise.
Begas' Neptune rides a giant clamshell, while four goddesses recline at
fountain's edge. Here the rivers are political: as the embodiment of the
Elbe, Oder, Rhine, and Vistula, the goddesses represent the Prussian
lands ruled at the time by Kaiser Wilhelm. More whimsical than most
Neptune fountains, this one's charms include water spraying from the
snouts of crocodiles.
PALLAS ATHENE FOUNTAIN, VIENNA
A Goddess Springs Forth
Vienna's Ringstrasse is an architecture buff's dream: two tree-lined
miles of historic buildings in an eclectic mix of Renaissance, baroque,
and Gothic styles. Add to that stately hodgepodge Theophil Hansen's
neoclassical Parliament building. Hansen also designed the
Athenebrunnen, a white-marble fountain that greets visitors to
Austria's Parliament building and sits at the Ringstrasse's edge. The
Greek goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athene stands on a lofty pedestal in
gilded helmet and shield, while at her feet sit figures representing
Austria's four main rivers: the Danube, Inn, Elbe, and Moldau.
Completed in 1883 by sculptor Karl Kundmann but not erected until
1902, the fountain was modeled on Phidias' Athena at the Parthenon.
Unlike the Athena of myth, who sprung fully formed from the head of
Zeus, this goddess took about 10 years to complete.
© 2004 Lisa Costantino, as first published in VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine.
of Europe.
FROM ITS EARLIEST INCARNATION, the public fountain has served as a
gathering place. In the beginning, villagers came together to collect
water and share the news of neighbors and family. Then the
Renaissance arrived, elevating the fountain's simple function to an art
form rife with symbolism. Figures from the Greek pantheon crowned
many of Europe's grand fountains, personifying the rebirth of ancient
Greece's humanistic ideals. The architects of these fountains sought
also to embody the taming of water – and hence, nature – while at the
same time celebrating its majestic force. Later, war heroes and
dignitaries took the place of Neptune and Apollo, representing
nationalistic principles such as territorial pride or the supremacy of a
great leader. Today travelers from around the world visit these
landmarks to marvel at their artistry, and residents still gather to
celebrate victories, protest injustices, and honor the achievements
memorialized in the eternal elements of water and stone.
FONTAINE DES MERS, PARIS
Water Clear as Crystal
The darkest days of the French Revolution saw the moats encircling
Place Louis XV run red with the blood of those executed under the
guillotine. The revolution passed before the square was renamed Place
de la Concorde and architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff began his
redesign of Paris' largest plaza in 1835. Hittorff resurrected a century-
old plan for twin cast-iron fountains and placed one on either side of
the square's Ramses II obelisk. Archetypal iconography pervades the
fountains' sculpture: Sea creatures represent the mastery of water on
the Fontaine des Mers, while earth and river imagery bedeck the
Fontaine des Fleuves. In 2000, the fountains underwent a renovation
that restored the original bronze, green, and gold hues of the
sculptures, without a hint of red in sight.
CIBELES FOUNTAIN, MADRID
Mother of Gods and Goalies
The Real Madrid soccer fans who gather at Madrid's Cibeles Fountain
whenever their team scores a victory prove this fountain's draw as a
gathering place. Its location on the elegant Paseo del Prado highlights
a model of urban reformation envisioned by Carlos III, who reigned
during the Age of Enlightenment. To express his city's emergent
knowledge of the natural sciences, the king commissioned grand
boulevards, museums, botanical gardens, and extensive landscaping.
Crowning the city's newfound glory: a regal fountain of Cybele, the
nature and fertility goddess of ancient Asia Minor. The Cibeles
Fountain was carved from Toledo marble by sculptors Francisco
Gutiérrez and Roberto Michel and installed in 1786. Lions draw the
statue's chariot, symbolizing Cybele's rule over beasts…and soccer fans.
TREVI FOUNTAIN, ROME
Monumental Movie Star
The Eternal City has more than 200 major fountains, and none more
celebrated than Trevi. Talk about eternal: Trevi was proposed by
Nicola Salvi in 1732 and completed in 1762, but its origins date back to
19 BC, when a young girl guided Agrippa's soldiers to a pristine spring at
the intersection of Rome's original three roads (the "tre vie").
Consequently, the Roman general built the Vergine Aqueduct to carry
water into Rome, and a crude fountain went up at its terminus.
Centuries later, Salvi created a colossal paean to the spring's discovery
and the taming of its waters, depicted by Neptune astride a chariot
drawn by wild horses. But for all its allegory, Trevi is best known to
modern-day travelers for its cinematic charm – as the fountain in which
Anita Ekberg waded in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, and as the subject of the
1954 film Three Coins in a Fountain, which played on Trevi's legend:
that those who throw a coin into its waters are destined to return.
GRAND FOUNTAIN AT TROJA CASTLE, PRAGUE
Clash of the Titans
French formal gardens, Italian villa design, and classic Greek sculpture
come together at Prague's Trója Castle, completed in 1691 as a summer
residence for Bohemian baron Václav Vojtŭc of Sternberk. The
Burgundian architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey spared no expense on this
terra-cotta-and-stucco château – including excavating part of the
hillside to align Trója with Stromovka Park, then the royal game
preserve. The showpiece here is the garden staircase: two ornate
flights of steps flanked by Olympic gods battling it out with the Titans.
The stone deities enact their final victory in the waters of the Grand
Fountain. Trója suffered in the destructive summer floods of 2002,
when the Vltava River encroached upon the garden staircase, lending a
sense of desperation to the Olympians' struggle.
LATONA FOUNTAIN, VERSAILLES
Of Frogs and Men
At Versailles, classically designed fountains showcase the triumph of
one man – Louis XIV – over nature. Versailles' monumental pools, moats,
grottoes, and a mile-long grand canal required a sophisticated
hydraulics system to bring water from the Seine, as well as to drain
area lakes and rivulets. In its heyday, Versailles had 1,400 working
fountains; today there are a mere 300, of which the Apollo, Neptune,
and Latona fountains remain most exceptional. The Fountain of Latona
had special meaning for the monarch. Just as Louis XIV's mother
suffered the disrespect of the people, so did Latona, mother of Apollo
and Diana. In her fury, she turned all detractors into amphibians and
reptiles. Versailles' bronze Latona sits atop a pedestal surrounded by
frogs, salamanders, turtles, and Lycian villagers in various stages of
transformation.
GREAT CASCADE AT PETERHOF, PETRODVORETS
Snatched from the Jaws of Defeat
Unlike Versailles, Peter the Great's summer residence Peterhof on the
Gulf of Finland had an unending water supply. Thus, even more water
features accentuate these imperial parklands. At the center: the 64-
fountain Great Cascade, whose marble tiers lead down from the Great
Palace. Built between 1715 and 1735, the Great Cascade also uses
mythos to celebrate a king's glory. The fountain's golden masterpiece,
Samson Rending Open the Jaws of the Lion, symbolizes the tsar's
victory over Sweden in the Battle of Poltava. Two centuries later, Nazi
occupiers desecrated and stole statues, uprooted thousands of trees,
and blew up the estate's hydraulic works. Given the site's gleaming
condition today, following decades of restoration by hundreds of local
architects and laborers, Samson's triumph takes on a whole new
meaning.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON
Millennial Meeting Place
Since its origins in the ninth century, Trafalgar Square has been a
gathering place for all sorts of crowds: political protesters, fervent
orators, delirious soccer fans, and the ubiquitous pigeon population.
Its current incarnation was completed in 1845. Although massive
Nelson's Column, honoring Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory at the Battle
of Trafalgar, is the centerpiece here, Trafalgar Square architect Sir
Charles Barry opposed its inclusion. He later sought to balance the
imposing pillar by installing two fountains, which also fill space that
might otherwise be taken up by rioters (ironically, their great pools
tend to attract demonstrators on sultry days). Sir Edwin Lutyens,
commissioned in 1939 to remodel the fountains, added bronze sea
creatures sculpted by William McMillan – including mermaids and
mermen riding dolphins, which spray water each morning as Big Ben
chimes.
NEPTUNE FOUNTAIN, BERLIN
Crocodile Tears
No other mythological deity figures as prominently in classical fountain
design as the great god of the sea. Public squares throughout Europe –
and elsewhere – claim a place for bearded Neptune, and Berlin's
Alexanderplatz is no exception. Few figures are more dramatic than
Neptune riding the crest of a wave, trident in hand, sea minions
churning in the waters beneath him. Architect Reinhold Begas, who
created his Neptunbrunnen in 1891, found inspiration in the fountains
at Versailles and the sculptor Bernini, whose Fountain of the Four
Rivers in Rome included representations of the four rivers of Paradise.
Begas' Neptune rides a giant clamshell, while four goddesses recline at
fountain's edge. Here the rivers are political: as the embodiment of the
Elbe, Oder, Rhine, and Vistula, the goddesses represent the Prussian
lands ruled at the time by Kaiser Wilhelm. More whimsical than most
Neptune fountains, this one's charms include water spraying from the
snouts of crocodiles.
PALLAS ATHENE FOUNTAIN, VIENNA
A Goddess Springs Forth
Vienna's Ringstrasse is an architecture buff's dream: two tree-lined
miles of historic buildings in an eclectic mix of Renaissance, baroque,
and Gothic styles. Add to that stately hodgepodge Theophil Hansen's
neoclassical Parliament building. Hansen also designed the
Athenebrunnen, a white-marble fountain that greets visitors to
Austria's Parliament building and sits at the Ringstrasse's edge. The
Greek goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athene stands on a lofty pedestal in
gilded helmet and shield, while at her feet sit figures representing
Austria's four main rivers: the Danube, Inn, Elbe, and Moldau.
Completed in 1883 by sculptor Karl Kundmann but not erected until
1902, the fountain was modeled on Phidias' Athena at the Parthenon.
Unlike the Athena of myth, who sprung fully formed from the head of
Zeus, this goddess took about 10 years to complete.
© 2004 Lisa Costantino, as first published in VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine.
