Medvědí kašna na Smíchově, Baroque fountain in Smíchov, Prague, Czech Republic
The Medvědí kašna on náměstí 14. října is a three-tiered sandstone fountain by Jeroným Kohl, carved from soft Hořice sandstone. Three bears stand on their hind legs around the middle column, holding the shallow middle basin with four mascaron spouts. The top basin carries a Neptune figure riding three dolphins, his trident restored in 2006.
The fountain was created in 1689 by sculptor Jeroným Kohl and originally stood in a private garden. It was moved to its current location near the courthouse in 1894.
The three bears standing on their hind legs and holding each other's front paws are the heraldic bears of the Slavata coat of arms, the family that commissioned the fountain. Sculptor Jeroným Kohl also carved two bear shield-bearers for the portal of the Slavata summer palace; that portal was moved to the Lapidarium of the National Museum in 1894. The fountain is functional and serves as a fountain in season.
The fountain stands in the park on náměstí 14. října, on the east–west axis between the Church of St. Wenceslas and the forecourt of Jiráskův Bridge, south of the National House and east of the Smíchov Market. It is functional and runs as a fountain in season. A chain on posts now surrounds it, and it has repeatedly been a target of vandalism, most recently repaired in 2006.
The fountain is carved from relatively soft Hořice sandstone, now weathered in places, and is only two-thirds the size of Jeroným Kohl's fountain at Prague Castle. Art historian Oldřich J. Blažíček noted Italian models for the Neptune figure and criticised the bears as carved with naive craftsmanship.
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