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French Fountain, c. 1880, by Artist unknown, courtesy of City of Melbourne.
Details
French Fountain
Artist unknown
Bronze fountain with granite plinth
c. 1880
Carlton Gardens, Nicholson Street entrance
During Melbourne's International Exhibition of 1880, the French Fountain formed the centrepiece of the exhibition's fernery. It was later transferred to a flowerbed at the eastern entrance to the Royal Exhibition Building. An elegant work, the bronze fountain features three youths, each supporting a dolphin, above which rests a cupped scallop shell. The fountain forms the centrepiece of a round garden bed, and its waters flow into the large, concrete pool in which it sits.
