Fontaine de Jarente, Historical fountain in Le Marais district, France.
The Jarente fountain is a public drinking fountain made of stone and bronze located in the fourth arrondissement of Paris. It features a Doric portico adorned with carved reliefs showing fish, cornucopias, and bundled rods at the end of a small dead-end street.
This fountain was built in 1783 under architect Caron and originally served fish merchants working in the nearby Impasse de la Poissonnerie. It shows how public fountains of that era were designed as essential utility structures for local tradespeople.
The fountain's stone carvings represent themes of plenty and natural bounty that decorated many public spaces in 18th-century Paris. When you walk by, you can see how such decorations once connected the fountain's purpose to daily life in the neighborhood.
The fountain sits at the end of a quiet dead-end street and is always open to visit throughout the year. You can walk by at any time to see it up close and watch the water still flowing from its openings.
A bronze carved head shaped like a satyr still delivers water at ground level, keeping its original function alive. This carved detail is often overlooked, yet it remains a striking reminder of the craftwork that went into these practical structures.
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