Fontaine Gaillon, Historical fountain in 2nd arrondissement, Paris, France

The Fontaine Gaillon is set into the lower facade of a stone building on Place Gaillon. Its three arched openings frame a central niche where a marble child Triton astride a dolphin holds a slender pipe above a small basin. A fluted stone bowl projects below, and an inscription panel above the arches begins "PRISTINVM · FONTEM ·".

The original fountain was built in 1707 under King Louis XIV and was later reconstructed in the 19th century. Architect Louis Visconti led the redesign, with sculptors Georges Jacquot and Émile Derré contributing to the new form.

The square takes its name from the Gaillon family, and the fountain's basin is carved with dolphins, aquatic plants and cornucopias. Since 1925 the fountain has been listed as a monument historique. The nearby Restaurant Drouant hosts the Goncourt and Renaudot prize juries.

The fountain is located at Place Gaillon in the 2nd arrondissement and is easily accessible by Metro. Quatre-Septembre station on Line 3 is the closest stop, followed by a short walk to reach it.

The rectangular panel above the central arch carries an inscription opening "PRISTINVM · FONTEM ·", Latin for "the former fountain", a nod to the 1707 fountain by Jean Beausire that stood here before Visconti's 1827 rebuild. Look for the carved face at the centre of the fluted bowl, from which water drops into the lower basin.