Maipu Val d’Osne Fountain

Public Art: Maipu Val d’Osne Fountain (Copy)

Also Known As: Fountaine de Maipú, 

Sculptors: © Michel Joseph Napoleon Liènard (1810-1870) and Mathurin Moreau (1821-1912)

Date Unveiled: The fountain was commissioned by Carlos Thays in 1909. It was originally unveiled on the Esplanade.

Description: This is a bronze copy of the original Val d’Osne Fountain. The 7m high, 4 basin fountain features statues of Neptune, Galatea, Amphitrite and Assis on the lower tier and 4 sea nymphs holding hands on the upper tier. There are 43 water jets.

Foundry: The fountain was produced by the Val d’Osne Foundry, the biggest producing fine art
foundry in France. The catalogue number was 554T.

Location: The Plaza 12 de Febrero, Maipu, Mendoza, Argentina.

Acknowledgements: A special thank you to Abel Osorio from Chile for kindly providing the photographs and information.

History of the Val d’Osne Fountains: The Victoria Plaza fountain was produced by the Val d’Osne Foundry, the biggest producing fine art foundry in France during the mid-nineteenth century. At one stage they had over 40,000 objects in their catalogues. This particular fountain design won a gold award at the 1855  Paris World Fair, which would explain why so many copies of it were erected around the world. The sculptures were created by Mathurin Moreau, who worked in the factory from 1849 to 1879 and in which he produced over 100 statues. Some say his work revolutionised the mass production of high-quality models.

List of known Val d’Osne Fountains :

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mendoza, Argentina
Launceston, Australia
Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
Quebec, Canada
Valparasio, Chile
Liverpool, England
Angers, France
Saint Quentin, France
Soulac sur mer, France
Troyes, France
Tacna, Peru
Lisbon, Portugal (2)
Valencia, Spain
Geneva, Switzerland
Boston, USA (known as The Brewer Fountain)