Fontaine Amédée-Larrieu
MonumentHidden Treasure
Fontaine Amédée-Larrieu, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8302, -0.5814
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083180
At the heart of Bordeaux, the fontaine Amédée-Larrieu displays a maritime and viticultural bestiary of exceptional sculptural richness, the work of Raoul Verlet's chisel, inaugurated in 1902.
History
Nestling in the Chartrons district, this monumental group of three fountains is one of the most accomplished sculptural ensembles of Bordeaux's Belle Époque. Commissioned thanks to the generous bequest of Eugène Larrieu, and inaugurated with great fanfare on 15 May 1902, the group brings together the art of stone with the utilitarian architecture of an iron and stone market that serves as its backdrop - a rare scenographic device that enhances the display of the sculptures. What makes the Amédée-Larrieu fountain truly unique is the density and coherence of its iconographic programme. Each face tells a different but complementary story: the generosity of the vine and the sea, two pillars of the Bordeaux soul. Muscular tritons, languorous nymphs, leaping dolphins, placid turtles, vine shoots and barrels of wine make up a living tableau in stone that celebrates both maritime trade and the city's wine-growing glory. The front, the most spectacular, features a colossal shell carried by two tritons and a dolphin, which two children climb with mischievous grace, while a nymph crowns the whole in a flight of drapery. The more intimate back side evokes the world of the river trade: a quay wall with its mooring rings, a boat laden with barrels and scales, a reclining nymph watching over the cargo - a direct evocation of the Garonne trade. For visitors, the walk around the ensemble is like a game of discovery: blowing mascarons, stealthy snails, the head of the Ocean with a dripping beard appear at every corner. Photographers enjoy the golden light in the late afternoon, when the low-angled sun reveals the depths of the relief. Lovers of Belle Époque sculpture, families with children drawn by the whimsical bestiary, and enthusiasts of Bordeaux's history will all find something to suit them.
Architecture
The architectural and sculptural ensemble of the Amédée-Larrieu fountain is organised around a tripartite structure set against the wall of a market made of stone and iron beams. This deliberate integration with the existing building is one of the most distinctive features of the project: the architects Bauhain and Barbaud did not design a fountain standing alone in space, but a sculptural programme in constant dialogue with its architectural support, playing on the contrasts between the mineral nature of the market and the baroque exuberance of the sculptures. The plastic vocabulary clearly reflects the eclecticism of the Belle Époque, tinged with Baroque and naturalistic influences typical of French academic sculpture at the end of the 19th century. Raoul Verlet's repertoire of marine and plant motifs is extremely rich: rocks worked into artificial grottoes, monumental shells, vine and vine-bunch motifs, aquatic bestiary (tritons, dolphins, turtles, flying fish, snails) and idealised human figures (nymphs, children, Ocean's head). The materials used, typical of urban sculpture of the period, are limestone and probably bronze or cast iron for certain decorative elements. The iconography is rigorously constructed: the front celebrates vines and earthly abundance, the back evokes river and sea trade, while the two side fountains offer variations on the themes of water and the sea. The two masks at the top - one in the shape of a shell with a human face, the other chubby and blowing - add a whimsical, slightly grotesque note that recalls Renaissance fountain decorations while remaining rooted in the naturalist taste of 1900.
Related Figures
Eugène Larrieu — mécène bordelais dont le legs testamentaire a financé la construction de la fontaineRaoul Verlet — sculpteur académique français (1857-1923), pensionnaire de la Villa Médicis, auteur du programme sculpturalÉdouard Bauhain — architecte bordelais, co-concepteur du projet avec BarbaudBarbaud — architecte bordelais, co-concepteur du projet avec BauhainAmédée Larrieu — personnage commémoré par la fontaine, dont le nom est associé au legs familial
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fontaine Amédée-Larrieu located?
Fontaine Amédée-Larrieu is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Fontaine Amédée-Larrieu open to visitors?
Fontaine Amédée-Larrieu is currently closed to visitors.