Model for a Fountain

French
18th century, Plaster

This work, executed in plaster, is a model for the decorative part of a fountain that would have been placed above a basin. It depicts a putto playing with a swan with spread wings against a backdrop of plants and reeds. It is a variation on a subject that was very common in the decoration of gilded lead and marble fountains. This type of Baroque fountain was frequent in the decoration of wealthy French aristocratic residences in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and showed various subjects and materials. Often embellished with sumptuous decorations in gilded lead, these fountains were not placed in gardens but rather in dining or reception rooms where the basins were used to chill bottles.