The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19
MR.. ASTOR'S FOUNTAIN.
viii Cost s25o,ooo and Astonish the
Britishers.

VIII Cost S25o,ooo and Astonish the
Britishers.
New York Journal: Mr.. William wal
dorf Astor's new fountain for Cliveden is
the largest private fountain of the kind
in the world. It is a gorgeous fountain.
of enormous expense, and the only foun-
tain which rivals it in size and appearance
is that of the Emperor William in Berlin,
the next largest of the kind being at Mos
COW.
In these two fountains the architects
| have developed the same idea which DOM
( mated the plans for the Astor fountains
gigantic shell of stone in a basin on the
ground level, the she'll being horizontal
and when full Of water the surface of the
water is about on Il level with the eye.
Mr.. AStOr, who expects that this fOun-
tain will astonish people when it is eX-
hibited, has called it The Fountain of
Love" The shell alone weighs between 60
and 70 tons.
This gigantic shell is made of nine pieces
OF the finest Sienna marble and is light
brown in color, but the huge blocks have
been so skdlfuliy put together that it is
almost Impossible to see the joints. The
nine pieces of Sienna marble out of which
the shell was made are the largest blocks
of Sienna marble ever taken out of Italy.
Like large cut diamonds they represent
an enormous waste of material
The shell, as it stands now. is complet9
and the WOrkmen are putting on only the
finishing touches. on Saturday. Nov g.
! the fountain played eXperimentally and
was found to be complete success.
The fountain in its architectural fea-
lures represents the development of one
| idea. 1t is practically simple and devoid
OF ornate carving, excepting in the thre9
groups.
Group THE first group of figures,
which forms a part of this fountain. is on
the end of the shell nearest the entrance
gates, where the edges come around and
curve into a sort of scroll This group,
made of the finest and Whitest Sicilian
marble consists of the herOie-sized figure
of a woman with a cupid. The back Of
these figures is toward the entrance gates.
The female figure is undraped except from
! the waist down, where simple mantle
partially covers her limbs, one leg being
Slightly thrown forward and showing out
side the drapery. Her right hand is out
stretched. In it she holds over the basin
by the handle small Greek vase, from
which water pourS. Her left hand falls by
her side. Standing at her left side is a
f1gure OF little cupid, naked with wings.
looking up into her face The female
figures hair is dressed in tho Greek style,
and the work is pronounced by sculptOrS
to be surprisingly beautiful.
Group This consist of woman and
cupid both standing and pledging each
other in drinking cups. This is purely an
categorical group. and no water comes
from the cups. The figures are large and
OF the finest Siciltan marble. The cupid in
this group is raised on a small pedestal,
so that his face is on a level with that
OF the female inquire. She has classic
Greek features and is dressed in the Creek
style as to hair and naked above the
waist. This group is on the righthand cor
ner of the she'll as you approach the foun-
tain from the entrance gates of Cliveden.
Group 3-This group consists of a wom-
an leaning back with a cupid pending over
her from rock. The cupid, apparently,
is offering her a drink from cup. She
has her right leg thrown back. and she
leans far backward. but is not lying down.
She occupies a very graceful attitude and
follows the Greek type, naked from the
waist I'D.
All around under the edges of the shen
rare and beautiful aquatic plants are
growing, and the figures viii be perfectly
enveloped in growing willow, which has a
very delicate form and leaf.
There is no fountain in England rivaling
this one of Mr.. Astors in size and beauty,
and it is even said by architects that as &C
work of art and considering its size, it is
the finest fountain in the world. This
fountain has already cost. according to
moderate estimates, a great deal mora
than a quarter of a million of dollars.