Fontaine du 18e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Fontaine du 18e siècle, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8352, -0.5640
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083182
An 18th-century fountain in Bordeaux, a discreet and refined monument where a fluted column adorned with sculpted lions and aquatic plants bears witness to Bordeaux's urban decorative art in all its elegance.
History
This eighteenth-century fountain in the heart of Bordeaux has been listed as a historic monument since 1925. It belongs to that rare category of urban works that are not always obvious at first glance, but which reveal remarkable sculptural mastery and decorative sensitivity. Far from the grandiloquence of large monumental fountains, it embodies the art of urban embellishment on a neighbourhood scale, as practised under the influence of the great architectural transformations of the Age of Enlightenment. The central piece, a section of fluted column standing on a rectangular plinth, is the focus of a highly coherent ornamental vocabulary. The generously modelled torso of the base is encircled by a wreath of laurel leaves, a classical symbol of glory and ordered nature. At the top, the sculpted vegetation becomes wilder, evoking the aquatic plants that line springs and rivers: a poetic nod to the hydraulic function of the building. The four lion heads projecting from the sides of the plinth recall a decorative tradition that has been present throughout Europe since Roman times, when the leonine figure was associated with the power of water and the protection of public places. They were probably intended to pour water into a basin, making this object as much a functional fountain as a sculpture in its own right. To visit this fountain is to immerse yourself in the Bordeaux of the late Grand Siècle, the era of intendants, royal squares and blonde stone facades. It is part of an urban fabric steeped in history, and invites you to take an attentive stroll, away from the signposted tourist routes, to discover the local heritage.
Architecture
The fountain consists of a section of fluted column, an element borrowed from the repertoire of ancient architecture, raised on a solid rectangular base. This sober, structured formal approach is characteristic of the neoclassical taste that developed in France in the second half of the 18th century, in reaction to the ornamental profusion of the Rococo period. The column, here reduced to a deliberately truncated fragment, suggests both a reference to Antiquity and a certain modernity in the fragmentary treatment of the form. The decorative sculpture plays a central role in the composition. The torso of the base is enlivened by a finely chiselled wreath of laurel leaves, a traditional classical motif associated with victory and orderly nature. The top of the column, in contrast, is crowned with sculpted aquatic vegetation - reeds, water lilies and marsh grasses - a naturalistic evocation of the element water, which is the raison d'être of the building. This interplay between the classical order of the base and the natural wildness of the top gives the piece a particularly sophisticated aesthetic tension. The most spectacular feature is the four lion heads in bas-relief that protrude from the four sides of the plinth. Inheriting a long Greco-Roman tradition, these leonine masks were pierced by a hole to allow water to flow out. Local limestone, typical of Bordeaux buildings, was probably used, ensuring a beautiful chromatic unity with the surrounding urban environment.
Related Figures
Louis-Urbain Aubert, marquis de Tourny — intendant de Guyenne (1743-1757), principal artisan de la transformation urbaine de Bordeaux au XVIIIe siècleVictor Louis — architecte bordelais du XVIIIe siècle, auteur du Grand-Théâtre, figure majeure du néoclassicisme localRichard de Bury — architecte municipal de Bordeaux dans la seconde moitié du XVIIIe siècle, impliqué dans de nombreux aménagements publicsNicolas Dupré de Saint-Maur — intendant de Guyenne, précurseur des réformes urbaines qui préparèrent le terrain aux grands travaux du XVIIIe siècle
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fontaine du 18e siècle located?
Fontaine du 18e siècle is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Fontaine du 18e siècle built?
Fontaine du 18e siècle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Fontaine du 18e siècle open to visitors?
Fontaine du 18e siècle is currently closed to visitors.
