Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain, Bronze sculpture at Detroit Zoo, Michigan, US
The Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain, known as the Bear Fountain, is a 1939 fountain in the Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak, Michigan. A large bowl is supported by two standing bears, with frogs, turtles and a couple of seals around it, and granite putti on the outside of the fountain. Frederick A. Schnaple designed it and Corrado Parducci sculpted it.
Mary Rackham, widow of Detroit industrialist Horace Rackham, funded the fountain in 1939 to mark her husband's link to the zoo. Horace Rackham had been the first president of Detroit's Zoological Commission. The fountain was designed by Frederick A. Schnaple and sculpted by Corrado Parducci. Parducci's maquette for one of the bears is kept in the Detroit Historical Museum collection.
The fountain is nicknamed the Bear Fountain after the two standing bears that hold up its bowl. Sculptor Corrado Parducci disliked the commission, saying he made it against his will because Mary Rackham was set on bears. His maquette for one bear is kept at the Detroit Historical Museum.
The fountain is positioned centrally within the zoo and is easy to find by following visitor pathways. Benches surround the area, offering comfortable spots to sit and observe the sculptures and water, particularly pleasant on warm days.
Sculptor Corrado Parducci disliked the commission, saying he made it against his will because Mary Rackham was set on bears. His surviving maquette for one of the bears is held in the Detroit Historical Museum collection.
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