Fontaine des Fleuves, Monumental fountain at Place de la Concorde, Paris, France

The Fontaine des Fleuves stands north of the Luxor Obelisk on Place de la Concorde, facing the Rue Royale. It was cast in iron by the Tusey foundry and gilded on its most symbolic parts. Seated bronze figures of the Rhine and the Rhone, three metres tall, sit above a lower basin where tritons and nereids hold fish that spout water.

The Fontaine des Fleuves was created between 1836 and 1840 by architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorff as part of his redesign of Place de la Concorde, and it was inaugurated on 1 May 1840 by prefect Rambuteau. It celebrates river navigation, facing the Rue Royale, and was cast in iron at the Tusey foundry in Vaucouleurs. The fountain was inspired by those of Saint Peter's in Rome.

The Fontaine des Fleuves celebrates river navigation, facing the Rue Royale, while its twin by the Seine honours maritime navigation. Seated figures of the Rhine and the Rhone are joined by allegories of the Harvest, the Grape Harvest, flower and fruit gathering, and by Navigation, Agriculture and Industry beneath the upper basin.

The fountain sits on the northern side of the square and is easily reached from the Concorde metro station. You can view the figures clearly from multiple angles by walking around the basin.

The tritons and nereids holding fish in the lower basin are the work of three sculptors: Antonin Moine, Carle Elshoecht and Louis Merlieux. The fountain's iron was cast at the Tusey foundry in Vaucouleurs, not in Paris as first planned.