The Ross Fountain at Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh was made of cast iron, in 1860-62, in a foundry near Paris. The first tier contains 8 mermaid statues holding urns, and 4 lion’s faces as spouts. ( map )
On the second tier, the 4 statues are representations of Science, Art, Poetry and Industry. The second tier water basins are held up by mermaid children. At the top the final figure holds a cornucopia.
The figures were sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Klagmann, who has done other famous works of sculpture in Paris.
Daniel Ross of Edinburgh bought the fountain when it was exhibited in London in 1862. Ross donated it to the city of Edinburgh. It was dismantled in London and shipped, and then installed in its present location in 1872.
In 2001 the fountain was fully restored, as broken pipes had made the fountain inoperational.
At this writing I know of 2 other sculptures in Scotland with mermaid statues. They are:
- The Mermaid of the North, a mermaid statue in Balintore
- The Linlithgow Palace King’s Fountain mermaid statue.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Fountain
http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/Monuments/Ross-Fountain
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste-Jules_Klagmann
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