Enceladus Fountain, Mythological fountain in Gardens of Versailles, France
The Enceladus Fountain is a gilded lead statue by Gaspard Marsy in the Bosquet de l'Encelade at Versailles. It shows the giant Enceladus half-buried in a mound of dark rocks, his torso twisted and one arm raised, with a gilded foot protruding below. The gold leaf over lead is worn and mottled. Behind the figure stand a lattice-work arcade and a gravel path.
The fountain was built around 1676, with the lead statue by Gaspard Marsy. In the 1700s Jules Hardouin-Mansart simplified the grove, as André Le Nôtre's decoration had become outdated and costly to maintain. In 1998, after the February 1990 storm, Pierre-André Lablaude restored the fountain to its original state.
The name comes from Enceladus, leader of the giants' revolt against the Olympian gods, shown by Gaspard Marsy as a bearded figure half-buried in rocks, turning into Mount Etna. Visitors can spot the gilded lead body, one arm raised gripping a rock, and the mouth from which the water jet rises.
The fountain lies at the foot of the Bosquet de l'Encelade, on the right side of the Allée Royale as seen from the palace, near the Grand Canal. The water jet, about 25 metres high, plays only during the Grandes Eaux water displays.
The statue is gilded lead by Gaspard Marsy, and the jet from Enceladus's mouth rises 78 pieds, about 25 metres, during the Grandes Eaux displays. The figure is shown half-buried in rock, turning into Mount Etna.
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