Fountains. Galloping horses charge through the water jets of the monumental Fontaine de l’Observatoire in the Jardin Marco Polo. Paris, France.
The monumental Observatory Fountain near the Jardin du Luxembourg was created through the collaborative work of several prominent artists and sculptors, including Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and one of his students Eugène Legrain, indeed the fountain is sometimes called the Fontaine Carpeaux. However in this image we see a detail of the horses rearing up from the pool of the fountain and galloping through the spray. These dramatic beasts are the work of the sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet, who also designed the fish and turtles from the mouths of which the water jets of the fountain pour forth. Another sculptor Louis Villeminot created the garlands of seashells and aquatic plants which decorate the plinth behind the horses. The fountain was proposed in 1866 and was part of the scheme to create a new grand tree lined avenue along an axis linking the Palais du Luxembourg with the Observertoire de Paris. This was one of elements of Baron Haussmanns grand plan for the reconstruction of Paris. The Project was under the direction of Gabriel Davioud who was responsible for the design of the fountains, squares, gates, lamp-posts, benches, pavilions and other architectural details in Paris parks, gardens, and plantations during the Second French Empire. Work on the project was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and the uprising of the Paris Commune but it resumed in 1872 and was completed in1874.
Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Avenue de l’Observetoire, Jardin Marco Polo, Observatory Garden, 6th Arrondissement, Paris, France.
Photo credit: © Andrew Wood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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