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The Maria Theresien Square Mermaid Fountains

The famous Maria Theresa Square (Maria-Theresien-Platz) in Vienna is home to four fountains with tritons and nereids, of which one clearly includes a twin-tailed mermaid.  map

The fountains are each at the center of one of the four rectangular garden areas that define the square.

This fountain depicts a Triton portrayed as an elderly man (with feet) on a conch shell being offered a strand of pearls by a twin-tailed mermaid. Created in Carrara marble by Austrian sculptor Anton Schmidgruber, it was unveiled in 1894.

Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square
Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square. Photo by Terence Faircloth, Atelier Teee, Inc

All four fountains are referred to as Triton and Naiad fountains. In this fountain the female figure is the naiad (mermaid), whereas in the other three fountains the male figures are tritons (mermen with tails) and the female figures have human feet.

Maria-Theresein-Platz, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien.  Photo by Manfred Werner - Tsui  CC3.0
Triton and Mermaid.  Photo by Ralf Roletschek CCBY3.0
Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square. Photo by GuentherZ.
Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square.  Photo by Terence Faircloth, Atelier Teee, Inc
Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square. Photo by GuentherZ.
Triton and Mermaid.  Photo by GuentherZ CC BY 3.0
Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square. Photo by GuentherZ.
Triton and Mermaid.  Photo by Edmund von Aspernburg CCBY3.0
Triton and Mermaid.  Photo by GuentherZ CC BY 3.0
Triton and Mermaid fountain in front of Natural History Museum Vienna.  Photo by Zhukovsky
Mermaid and Triton in Maria Theresa Square. Photo by GuentherZ.

References:
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria-Theresien-Platz
● The Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book: See page 64 in the book about this sculpture.

Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book

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