HD photographs of Fontaine de Leda inside Jardin du Luxembourg - Page 10



This time while we were within the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris, we took these high definition photos showing the Fontaine de Leda water fountain.

Luxembourg photos

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Fontaine de Leda, Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
The Fontaine de Leda is actually not a very well known water fountain and is virtually hidden, as you can see from this first HD photo, yet it is positioned on the back of the historical Fontaine Medicis in the eastern part of the Luxembourg Gardens, and you can also see a part of this fountain as well.
Historical drinking water fountain called Fontaine de Leda
Now the Fontaine de Leda was actually commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte when he wanted several drinking water fountains placed at different parts of the city, and constructed in the early part of the 1800s by the engineer Francois Bralle in collaboration with the sculptor Achille Valois, this was originally placed against a wall on the Rue du Regard by the Rue de Vaugirard.
Fontaine de Leda dome roof and water nymph sculptures
However, when the city was being transformed by Baron Haussmann, the architect Gabriel Davioud came up with the idea of placing it at the back of the Fontaine Medicis to save it from being destroyed, yet it changed dramatically with the Naiads, or two water nymphs, which were added to the top next to the pediment and sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Klagmann, plus a half dome was also put in place by the architect Alphonse de Gisors.
Sculpted crown on Fontaine de Leda in Paris
Yet in this photo you can see the very top with the sculpture including a crown that is actually the back of the Medici Fountain, which was also originally designed as a grotto to be affixed to a building until it was moved to its current location, so Alphonse de Gisors was responsible for implementing these changes and putting the two fountains together.
Fontaine de Leda bas relief Leda and the Swan by Valois
But this next close up photo shows the most historical part of this fountain, which is a bas relief based upon the story of Leda and the swan that was sculpted by Achille Valois back in 1807, and in Roman mythology Jupiter, or Zeus in Greek mythology, transformed himself into a swan to seduce Leda, which is why the fountain is now known as the Fontaine de Leda.
Info plaque on Fontaine de Leda detailing architect A de Gisors
So here you can see a plaque located on the eastern facade of these historical water fountains, which as you can see states the original architect for the Fontaine de Marie de Medicis along with the sculptor that transformed it, and underneath is the same scenario for the Fontaine de Leda, with the sculptors and architect mentioned.
Fontaine de Leda pond and water fountain, Jardin du Luxembourg
There is also a small water feature with a semi-circular pond or basin located in front of the Leda Fountain, as you can see here, which is actually below one of the meandering paths of the Jardin du Luxembourg close to the eastern entrance by the Place Edmond Rostand, and it is actually quite hard to see this unless you go right up to the side of the fountain.
Three Mascarons on Fontaine de Leda
Originally the drinking water was designed to come out of the swans beak, however, when the Fontaine de Leda was redesigned, the three Mascarons, or masks, were added to the fountain to spurt out the water below the bas relief of Leda and the Swan.
Close up of a Mascaron mask on Fontaine de Leda
And this close up image shows the detailing of just one of these Mascarons, which were designed and sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Klagmann for this new look fountain, although, as you can tell, they were not working when we took this photograph.
Left side view of Fontaine de Leda attached to Medici Fountain
Now this photo shows the side of the Fontaine de Leda and a part of the Fontaine de Medicis, and this side lets you get an impressive view down the long basin of the Medici Fountain looking towards the Palais du Luxembourg within these historical gardens.
Jardin du Luxembourg Fontaine de Leda and pond
But in this last image you can see the entire Leda Fountain again, with the additional features we mentioned earlier, yet on the top triangular part, or pediment, there was once an eagle, representing the Empire during the time of Napoleon I, however, this was not actually restored, and is a completely new sculpture, so only the bas relief of Leda and the Swan remains the same from the original fountain in Paris.

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Address details


Jardin du Luxembourg, Rue de Medicis / Rue de Vaugirard, 75006, Paris, Ile de France, France

Opening times (dawn to dusk)
7:30/8:30am to 4:30/9:30pm

Related information


Jardin du Luxembourg map
Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg history
Palais du Luxembourg
Palais du Luxembourg history
Palais du Luxembourg photos
Le Petit Luxembourg Palace
Le Petit Luxembourg Palace history
Musee du Luxembourg
Musee du Luxembourg history
Fontaine Medicis
Fontaine Medicis photos
Fontaine de Leda
Theatre des Marionnettes du Jardin du Luxembourg
Pavillon Davioud
Pavillon Davioud photos
Beehives photos
L’Orangerie du Jardin du Luxembourg
Orangerie photos
Rose garden
Flowers in Jardin du Luxembourg
250 year old orange tree
Historical tree

Palais du Luxembourg statues


Clock bas reliefs
La Paix
La Guerre
La Sagesse
La Justice
l'Eloquence
La Prudence

Famous women and Queen statues


Laure de Noves
Marie de Medicis
Marguerite d'Angouleme
Valentine de Milan
Anne de Beaujeu
Blanche of Castile
Anne d'Autriche
Anne de Bretagne
Marguerite de Provence
Sainte Clotilde
Sainte Bathilde
Berthe
La Reine Mathilde
Sainte Genevieve
Marie Queen of Scots
Jean d'Albret
Clemence Isaure
Anne Marie Louise d'Orleans
Louise de Savoie
Marguerite of Anjou

Monuments


Statue of Liberty
Scheurer Kestner
Henry Murger
Theodore de Banville
Etudiants morts dans la Resistance
Leconte de Lisle
George Sand
Stendhal
Le cri, l'ecrit
Eugene Delacroix
Eugene Delacroix statue
Eugene Delacroix water fountain
Ludvig Van Beethoven
Stefan Zweig
Paul Verlaine
Gabriel Vicaire
Edouard Branly
Jules Massenet
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Jose Maria de Heredia
Ossip Zadkine
Antoine Watteau
La Comtesse de Segur
Louis Ratisbonne
Charles Baudelaire
Ferdinand Fabre
Pierre Mendes France
Frederic Le Play
Hommage aux esclaves des colonies francaises

Antique statues


Marius debout sur les ruines de Carthage
Calliope
Vulcain
Flore east
Diane a la Biche
Goddess of Love
Minerve a la Chouette
Junon, Reine du Ciel
Goddess of Flowers
Venus au Dauphin
David vainqueur de Goliath

Other statues


Le Lion de Nubie et sa Proie
Harde de Cerfs
Joies de la Famille
Archidamas
Triomphe de Silene
l'Hiver
l'Effort
La Messagere
Psyche sous l'emprise du mystere
Sainte Suzanne
La Femme aux Pommes
Le Silence
L'Acteur Grec
Faune Dansant
Il Dispetto
La Bocca Della Verita
Velleda
Le Marchand de Masques
Polyphemus
Lion
La Peinture
Enfants supportant une vasque

Orangerie busts


Jean-Francois Millet
Theodore Rousseau
Antoine Louis Barye
Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix
Jean Jacques Pradier
Jean Auguste Dominique
David d'Angers
Pierre Paul Prud'Hon
Francois Rude
Baron Antoine Gros

Transport options


Paris Metro lines 4, 12
Bus lines 21, 27
Bus line 38
Bus line 58
Bus lines 82, 83, 84, 89
Night bus line N14
Night bus line N21
Night bus line N122
RER Train line B

Attractions close by


Jardin des Grands Explorateurs
Place Edmond-Rostand
Francois Garnier monument
Marechal Ney monument
La Closerie des Lilas restaurant
Musee Zadkine
Musee Bible et Terre Sainte
Eglise Saint Joseph des Carmes
Maison d’Auguste Comte
Refectoire des Cordeliers
Square Paul Painleve
The Pantheon
Musee Curie
Musee du Service de Sante des Armees
Musee de Cluny
La Coupole Brasserie
Musee du Compagnonnage
Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont