Mercury fountain

This article is about fountains using mercury. For the Mercury fountain at Oxford University, see Tom Quad. For the statue in Mexico, see Fountain of Mercury.

A mercury fountain is a fountain constructed for use with mercury rather than water.

Mercury fountains existed in some castles in Islamic Spain; the most famous one was located at the Kasr-al-Kholaifa in Córdoba.

Calder's Mercury Fountain

Calder's fountain of mercury at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona

The most noted example is a modern sculpture designed by the American artist Alexander Calder and commissioned by the Spanish Republican government for the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. The artwork is a memorial to the siege of Almadén, which then supplied 60 percent of the world's mercury, by General Franco's troops. A direct counterpart is Picasso's Guernica, Calder's Mercury Fountain, now at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, is displayed behind glass for safety reasons.

External links

• Calder's Mercury Fountain at the Fundació Joan Miró
• Photos of Calder's Mercury Fountain by Mary Ann Sullivan
• Video of Calder's Mercury Fountain