| Artist | Unknown, English |
|---|---|
| Year | c. 1860 |
| Type | Bronze |
| Dimensions | 170 cm × 91 cm × 91 cm (66 in × 36 in × 36 in) |
| Location | Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Owner | Indianapolis Museum of Art |
Fountain is a cast bronze fountain made in England, c. 1860. It was donated to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1992 as part of a renovation project. The fountain is located in the Formal Garden of the historic Oldfields estate, now part of the campus of the IMA.[1][2]
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The fountain is composed of multiple pieces of cast bronze that have been welded together. The tri-form bottom portion has a cloven hoof at each corner, and it is decorated with bucrania and garlands. Above this, an ornately patterned column of acanthus leaves extends down to the tri-form piece and up to the large bowl, with a rope-twist cinctured acanthus in the middle. The column narrows dramatically just below the attachment of the large bowl. Both bowls are decorated with an egg-and dart-pattern around the circumference, and the undersides have acanthus leaves radiated outward to the rim. Between the bowls is a central stem that is adorned with oak leaves and acorns.
The waterspout is in the middle of the top bowl, and the water is intended to overflow from one bowl to the other on all sides to reach the circular pool surrounding the base of the fountain. The base is constructed of poured concrete, and it extends upwards out of the water about two feet. An egg-and-dart patterned conical section radiates up and out from the water for about one foot, then connects with the rim of the flat, circular tray. Atop this is a tri-form shape, which aligns with the bottom section of the bronze.[2]
This fountain has been the property of the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 1992, when it was donated as a part of the renovation of the Oldfields estate Formal Garden. It was subsequently added to the museum art collections and assigned Accession Number 1993.171.
Excluding the new fountain, the Formal Garden was restored to its 1920s appearance as it was designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Brothers.
The maker is unknown, but the fountain is ascribed to the late 19th century, later narrowed by the IMA to c. 1860.[2]
The fountain was donated to the IMA in 1992 by Richard Wood upon his retirement as chairman of the board of Eli Lilly and Company. His contribution was a part of the Formal Garden renovation, which was funded by Lilly in honor of his retirement.
According to the museum registration files, Wood selected this antique British fountain for the estate and had it shipped from England.[2]
The Formal Garden has had several different fountains installed in its central pool. This is the fifth incarnation of the fountain. The Formal Garden pool existed prior to the Gallagher landscape and had a simple jet of water for the fountain. When the Landons (the original owners of the property) implemented the Gallagher plan, they selected a different water spray with no sculptural component as a way to avoid the cost of a figural fountain. Apparently they had a change of heart, as a 1930 newspaper article made specific mention of a “graceful bronze fountain at the center of the pool.”[3] This is seen in two photographs of the garden and seems to be a life-size girl. She is shown looking up at her outstretched right hand, holding what appears to be a fish from whose mouth a gentle fountain sprays, and gesturing with her left hand as though to shield her face from the spray. O’Donnell et al. were unable to locate information on this sculpture, but an IMA anecdote indicates that the Landons took the girl with them when they moved.[4] The Lilly family (the subsequent residents) filled the space with another bronze figural fountain by Barbara Putnam, which was uncannily similar in size and pose. The Putnam sculpture, depicting a nude girl holding a bird in her right hand with her left hand extended downward, remained in place until the 1992 renovation. It was then replaced and moved into Objects Storage because of damage to its left hand.[2]
Bronze Fountain became the replacement fountain and has remained in place since its installation.[2]
The sculpture is monitored and cleaned regularly by the IMA art conservation staff. It is considered to be structurally sound and stable.[5][2]
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