What is Fountain of Apollo?
[[File:Louis14-I.jpg|thumb|Louis XIV (in wheelchair, foreground) at the Fountain of Apollo]] The '''Fountain of Apollo''' ({{lang-fr|Bassin d'Apollon}}) is a [[fountain]] at the [[Palace of Versailles]]. It depicts the Greek sun god [[Apollo]] rising from the sea at daybreak in his four-horse [[chariot]]. He is accompanied by [[Triton]]s. In 1639, [[Louis XIII]] had a [[pond]] dug on the site of the fountain called the Pond of the [[Swan]]s. In 1671, [[Louis XIV]] enlarged the pond. [[Le Brun]] suggested it be dedicated to Apollo based on its east-west [[orientation]]. The parallels drawn between Louis and the sun god also entered into the decision. Le Brun's Apollo is seen sitting in his four-horse chariot. He rises from the [[wikt:grotto|grotto]] of [[Thetys]] where he has spent the night. This theme was popular in the arts at the time. The gilded statue was made by [[Tuby]] of [[Rome]]. It was installed in 1671. Beyond the fountain lies the [[Grand Canal]]. The Fountain of Apollo incorrectly depicts Apollo rising in the west rather than the east.<ref>Perouse de Montclos, p. 378</ref> [[File:Chimei museum1.jpg|thumb|Fountain of Apollo, in front of Chimei Museum in Tainan, Taiwan]] In 2014, a same-scale replica was unveiled in [[Tainan]], [[Taiwan]], at the entrance of the [[Chimei Museum]]. The museum commissioned French artist Gilles Perrault in 2008 to reproduce the Fountain of Apollo, same as the one in [[Palace of Versailles]]. It took three years for modern laser measuring and the mold to be made in France for the reproduction sculpture, and another three years to carve the marble in Italy. This Fountain of Apollo in Chimei Museum, however, correctly depicts Apollo rising from the east. <ref>{{Cite news|title=Fountain of Apollo sculpture unveiled in Tainan|url = http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aedu/201411010026.aspx}}</ref> == Related pages == * [[Water gardens]] == Gallery == <gallery> File:Palace of Versailles Gardens 13.JPG| File:Adam Perelle, Le Bassin d'Apollon (The Fountain of Apollo, Versailles), 1680s