Artwork
Fontaine du Jardin du Luxembourg (grotte de Marie de Médécis)
Fontaine du Jardin du Luxembourg (grotte de Marie de Médécis) is a photography by the Romanticist artist Charles Marville. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
The statue you see here is the same one that still sits in the Luxembourg Gardens today—just in a different spot.
You see a quiet stone grotto with a white marble statue of Venus standing in a shallow pool. Water trickles down the mossy rocks behind her.
This photo was taken around 1850, just before the fountain was moved and rebuilt. The statue you see here is the same one that still sits in the Luxembourg Gardens today—just in a different spot. Marville caught the fountain in a rare, in-between moment.
To see how Paris changed its streets, look up the work of Charles Marville (French, 1813–1879).
Overview
Fontaine du Jardin du Luxembourg (Grotte de Marie de Médécis) is a photograph by Charles Marville, capturing a serene stone grotto with a white marble statue of Venus bathing, set amidst a shallow pool and moss-covered rocks with trickling water.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is a pre-1864 restoration state of the Luxembourg Garden fountain, featuring a white marble Venus statue added during the 1811 restoration. The image conveys a tranquil, naturalistic scene.
Technique & Style
Marville's photograph, taken circa 1850, showcases his landscape and architectural photography expertise, emphasizing the interplay of natural elements (moss, water) with architectural features (grotto, statue).
History & Provenance
Captured around 1850, the photograph documents the fountain's state just before its 1864 restructuring and relocation by 100 feet to accommodate a new street. The Venus statue remains in the Luxembourg Gardens, albeit in a different location.
Context
Part of Marville's urban and architectural photography work, this piece contextualizes 19th-century Parisian urban development, particularly the transformations in the Luxembourg Gardens.
Legacy
This photograph serves as a historical record of a transient moment in the fountain's history, highlighting Marville's role in documenting Paris's evolution and the enduring presence of the Venus statue in the Luxembourg Gardens.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Marville, the pseudonym of Charles François Bossu, was a French photographer, who mainly photographed architecture, landscapes and the urban environment.
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