French Fountain, c1880, Carlton Gardens, Nicholson St entrance, Royal Exhibition building
Summary
Location: Carlton Gardens, Nicholson St entrance
The bronze fountain features three youths, each supporting a dolphin, above which rests a cupped scallop shell.
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.
