Fountain of st, Micheal, (Paris, France); 1860; Eclecticism in architecture

The Saint-Michel fountain built in 1860 by the architect Gabriel Davioud.The fountain is located at the bottom of the boulevard Saint Michel near the Saint Michel bridge which spans the Seine. It includes a bronze group carved by Francisque Duret (1804-1865), inspired by the painting of Raphael in the Louvre, representing Saint Michael slaying the demon. The two dragons were sculpted by Henri-Alfred Jacquemart

Davioud's fountain is huge in scale: it measures 85 x 49 ft. was built to hide the large gable of the islet on the edge of the Place Saint-André des Arts,slightly deviating from the main north-south road. She also wanted to recall the memory of the old chapel Saint-Michel in the island of the city..The centerpiece is the bronze statue of St. Michael. The archangel is shown in Roman garb, brandishing his sword of fire and seemingly ready to strike the demon. The sculpture group, a work of the French sculptor Francisque Duret, stands in a niche and rests on an artificial rock. Saint Michael, surrounded by the cardinal virtues (the Force, the Prudence, the Justice and the Temperance) and two winged chimeras, terrace the dragon above the waters of the fountain. It's the victory of good over evil.

The central motif, housed in a niche, is framed by a triumphal arch and engaged columns, responding to the pilasters of the buildings of the square.On either side of the niche are Corinthian columns of red marble. There are four columns in total, each bearing a statue representing one of the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Fortitude, Justice and Temperance. Each of these statues was created by a different artist. Above the statue of St. Michael is a frieze with reliefs of festoons and putti. Above, a large marble plaque shows the year of dedication, 1860, inscribed in Roman numerals. At the top of the fountain are two allegorical statues of Might and Moderation, flanking the emblem of Paris.
Dragon by Henri Alfred Jacquemart in front of Fontaine Saint-Michel
Archangel Michael and the devil, by Francisque-Joseph Duret


cite page
http://paris1900.lartnouveau.com/paris06/fontaine_st_michel.htm

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