Parisian Louis XV Limestone Carp Fountain Head or Mascaron c.1740

An outstanding sculpted Parisian French limestone Carp or Dolphin fountain head otherwise known as ‘mascaron’ or ‘Masqueron’ c.1740

Large and strikingly deeply hand-carved in limestone, patinated with age.

In Paris, the monumental “Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons” on the Rue de Grenelle (7th arrondissement) (1739), by sculptor Edme Bouchardon features very similar mascaron around the base of the fountain intended to provide water to the neighbourhood but also to be a commemorative monument in honour of King Louis XV.
The same carp form mascaron is found at the Pierre Nicolas Beauvallet’s “Fontaine du Gros Caillou” or “Fontaine de Mars”, rue Saint-Dominique, about fifty years later.

This particular style of carp is a somewhat emblematic motif in the water gardens and parks of Paris created by order of Napoleon in 1805. We can see similar bronze and cast iron examples by the likes of sculptor Jean-Baptiste Klagmann fountains such as “Fontaine de Léda” in the Luxembourg Garden behind the Medici fountain.

Imagine the fountain built into a grotto or wall, water cascading from its open jaws. An enchanting mythical beast!

With historical repairs.