Mercury fountain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mercury fountain is a type of fountain constructed for use with mercury rather than water.
The most noted example is a modern sculpture designed by the American artist Alexander Calder and commissioned by the Spanish Republican government for the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. The artwork is a memorial to the siege of Almadén, which then supplied 60% of the world's mercury, by General Franco's troops. A direct counterpart is Picasso's Guernica. Calder's mercury fountain, now at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, is displayed behind glass for safety reasons.
[edit] Background
[edit] History of mercury fountains
Mercury fountains existed in some castles in Islamic Spain; the most famous one was situated at the Kasr-al-Kholaifa in Córdoba.
