Fontaines de la Concorde, Monumental fountains in Place de la Concorde, Paris, France

The Fontaines de la Concorde are two symmetrical cast iron fountains flanking the central Egyptian obelisk on Place de la Concorde. Each fountain is adorned with bronze figures and water displays that create a classical appearance.

An architect named Jacques Ignace Hittorff designed these fountains and completed them in 1840 during King Louis-Philippe's reign. Their completion followed the opening of the Canal de l'Ourcq, which provided the water supply.

The south fountain, nearer the Seine, honours France's maritime commerce: semi-nude figures for the Mediterranean and Atlantic sit in a ship's prow, the emblem of Paris, with dolphins, coral, fish, shells and pearls below. The north fountain, nearer the Madeleine, shows the Rhône and Rhine and the harvests of wheat, grapes, flowers and fruit.

The two fountains sit on the axis running from the Madeleine church to the Palais Bourbon bridge, with the Rivers fountain on the north side toward the Madeleine and the Maritime fountain on the south side toward the Seine. The obelisk of Ramses II, set in place on 25 October 1836, stands between them, so both can be seen in one walk across the square.

Twelve different sculptors contributed to creating the bronze figures and worked under strict supervision to maintain design consistency. This collaboration of numerous artists makes these fountains an example of collective French artistic skill.