Les Trois Grâces

sketchfab

Located at the center of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, the Fontaine des Trois Grâces was inaugurated in 1869 on the site where a equestrian statue of Louis XV stood from 1743 until it was melted down during the Revolution in 1792. The first basin is made of stone and features three monumental fish in bronze, ridden by chubby, mocking cherubs. Underneath these cherubs are inscribed the names of Visconti, the architect who designed the fountain, Guemey and Jouandot, who cast the statue, Bethmann, the mayor who inaugurated the fountain, and Bronchon, his predecessor, whose term saw the project approved four years earlier. The base is topped by a massive tank in iron that supports the pedestal where Aglaé, Euphrosyne, and Thalie, daughters of Zeus, rise to the top, symbolizing splendor, joy, and abundance respectively.