Source of the River Lozoya Fountain, Calle Bravo Murillo, Vallehermoso , Madrid
It is the first ornamental public fountain in Madrid from which water flowed from the Lozoya River. The wall fountain, made of stone and brick, was the artistic face attached to the side wall of the First Reservoir of the Canal de Isabel II (former Campo de Guardias), designed to bring water to Madrid. It is almost hidden behind a fence inside the Canal de Isabel II facilities, on Calle de Bravo Murillo, 49.
The Canal de Isabel II, which guaranteed Madrid the supply of water from the Lozoya River, was designed in 1848 by the engineers Juan de Ribera and Juan Rafo, following a commission from the Minister of Instruction and Public Works, Juan Bravo Murillo. It took about 10 years to build, and on June 24, 1858 it was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in style, on Calle Ancha de San Bernardo.
THE FOUNTAIN
It is a sculptural ensemble conceived in the image of the classic triumphal arch. Made of granite stone with brick panels, with a central apse in which the main figure is housed, it is a monumental personification of the Lozoya River (a slender male figure of a young man who steps on a vessel seated on a set of rocks), carved by the Madrid sculptor Sabino de Medina Peñas; flanked on the left by another limestone sculpture, an allegory of Agriculture, by the Compostela sculptor Andrés Rodríguez, and on the right by another of Industry, by Madrid-born José Pagniucci Zúmel.
The pylon is made of limestone and has a semicircular geometry, with a straight profile towards the inside and a curved silhouette towards the outside. It has a depth of 70 centimeters, and a diameter of about 10 meters. The main fountain springs from the jar at the foot of the central figure, and cascades down the rocks carved in the style of European Baroque fountains.
MADRID AND THE WATER
In the first half of the 19th century, Madrid had some 200,000 inhabitants, and very few enjoyed water in their homes. The rest took water from one of the 54 sources scattered around the city. Inseparable from the pumps lived the water carriers, who at that time numbered about 920, dedicated themselves to the itinerant sale of water, which they transported to the cisterns of the houses. The guild had reserved a number of fountains in the city for their use.
At that time, the fountains in Madrid were classified as: neighborhood fountains (for the neighbors), neighborhood fountains (at least one spout exclusively for the neighbors and the rest was reserved for the water carriers), water carrier fountains, flying fountains (whose use could vary according to needs) and ornamental fountains.
LOZOYA RIVER SOURCE
Neoclassical wall fountain
Year 1858
C/ Bravo Murillo, 49
Vallehermoso neighborhood
Architect: Juan de Ribera Piferrer
Construction Engineer: Juan Rafo
Sculptors: Sabino de Medina Peñas, Andrés Rodríguez and José Pagniucci Zúmel
Source of the River Lozoya Fountain, Calle Bravo Murillo, Vallehermoso , Madrid
It is the first ornamental public fountain in Madrid from which water flowed from the Lozoya River. The wall fountain, made of stone and brick, was the artistic face attached to the side wall of the First Reservoir of the Canal de Isabel II (former Campo de Guardias), designed to bring water to Madrid. It is almost hidden behind a fence inside the Canal de Isabel II facilities, on Calle de Bravo Murillo, 49.
The Canal de Isabel II, which guaranteed Madrid the supply of water from the Lozoya River, was designed in 1848 by the engineers Juan de Ribera and Juan Rafo, following a commission from the Minister of Instruction and Public Works, Juan Bravo Murillo. It took about 10 years to build, and on June 24, 1858 it was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in style, on Calle Ancha de San Bernardo.
THE FOUNTAIN
It is a sculptural ensemble conceived in the image of the classic triumphal arch. Made of granite stone with brick panels, with a central apse in which the main figure is housed, it is a monumental personification of the Lozoya River (a slender male figure of a young man who steps on a vessel seated on a set of rocks), carved by the Madrid sculptor Sabino de Medina Peñas; flanked on the left by another limestone sculpture, an allegory of Agriculture, by the Compostela sculptor Andrés Rodríguez, and on the right by another of Industry, by Madrid-born José Pagniucci Zúmel.
The pylon is made of limestone and has a semicircular geometry, with a straight profile towards the inside and a curved silhouette towards the outside. It has a depth of 70 centimeters, and a diameter of about 10 meters. The main fountain springs from the jar at the foot of the central figure, and cascades down the rocks carved in the style of European Baroque fountains.
MADRID AND THE WATER
In the first half of the 19th century, Madrid had some 200,000 inhabitants, and very few enjoyed water in their homes. The rest took water from one of the 54 sources scattered around the city. Inseparable from the pumps lived the water carriers, who at that time numbered about 920, dedicated themselves to the itinerant sale of water, which they transported to the cisterns of the houses. The guild had reserved a number of fountains in the city for their use.
At that time, the fountains in Madrid were classified as: neighborhood fountains (for the neighbors), neighborhood fountains (at least one spout exclusively for the neighbors and the rest was reserved for the water carriers), water carrier fountains, flying fountains (whose use could vary according to needs) and ornamental fountains.
LOZOYA RIVER SOURCE
Neoclassical wall fountain
Year 1858
C/ Bravo Murillo, 49
Vallehermoso neighborhood
Architect: Juan de Ribera Piferrer
Construction Engineer: Juan Rafo
Sculptors: Sabino de Medina Peñas, Andrés Rodríguez and José Pagniucci Zúmel