NT Barrington Court, Somerset – internal courtyard water feature
One water feature that seems to recur in our gardens, especially those managed by the National Trust, is a the classic European sculpture of a naked boy / cupid with a dolphin / fish / sea serpent of some description or even in the case below, a swan. Often holding. sitting on, wrestling or otherwise engaged.
NT Barrington Court – boy and swan
Another statue of Verrochio’s Winged Cherub Boy with Dolphin can be seen in Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver, Canada.
NT Hidcote Bathing Pool
If you’d like to join in with the fountain challenge then please pop over to Polianthus for the rules
This month is the time to feature fountains from your own country. I’m sure she would love to see you.
Earth laughs in flowers 
Gorgeous fountains, Jude! I especially like the first 2. Where is that? 🙂
Barrington Court in Somerset – a lovely NT place with gorgeous gardens too.
Too far away for me to walk this weekend 🙂 🙂
Just a bit – not far from Sherri though if you do make it down there. Glass of bubbly in the summerhouse?
Yes, I just saw her comment! Maybe Bath next year when everyone’s fit and able. 🙂
That sounds like a good plan.
Are you watching Murray? Mick’s got the football on but switching over soon. Gather he was pretty good against Stan yesterday. I was out ‘romping’. 🙂
Indeed I am. He was much calmer against Stan and it was a pretty convincing match. Raonic will be a much tougher opposition.
What a great idea for a challenge. These fountains uyou’ve shown us here, seem so quintessentially English to me. Oh, I’m tempted to make a post of some of the fountains in my home town, in some of the older ones, especially, you can see the influence of NZs early English heritage …I don’t know if i’ll get it done in time … Oh, so much to do, so little time!
I’d love to see them and so would Poli – no time constraints, she’s happy to see fountains any time.
I love these!
They are sweet 🙂
What is the fascination with cherubs or baby boys in art?
I have no idea!
Great post Jude, I never thought about boy with swan before, but you are right, there are numerous boy with swan, boy with dolphin fountains here too, I guess the girls were too busy in the kitchen..:) have a lovely Saturday Poli
The 17th and 18th century classic Italian statues found their way all over England. Well I assume they originated from Italy, I don’t actually know that for fact.
Hi Jude that makes sense – I was curious so started to google “art history statues fountains …” the boy with the swan is found from Copenhagen to just about everywhere, have not been able to found when the statue was first described, nor indeed, who it is of, would have thought it was from Greek mythology but who knows, not online for sure. Might need a library with proper books on art history in this case! I did find – boy strangling a goose, perhaps boy on a swan evolved from that, a more peaceful depiction of human/animal co-existence 🙂
EDIT: Hey Poli I am going to shorten that link to the site – it is a good site for this sort of information. Putti Sculptures
(The Italian word «putto» is derived from the Latin word «putus», meaning «boy» or «child».)
Off on a tangent again! This is why we never get anything done! I have slightly reduced your link – hope you don’t mind) to the actual site of the boy with goose. There is actually a boy with swan on the page too – at the bottom. Not a very good swan. Thanks for pointing me in this direction.
Hi Jude – no problem! yes off on a total tangent, but I just got curious. None the wiser sadly. Didn’t see the boy with the swan on the page, will check. Poli
These are really fun Jude. Saw tons of them in Europe – especially love those where the little angels are peeing LOL. What were they thinking?!??!
I blame the Greeks for all that nudity!
Ahh…Barrington Court 🙂 Lovely to see your summery photos Jude!
One place with fabulous gardens. I must go back for another visit there.
And you know where to drop in for a cuppa when you do Jude 🙂
Indeed I do 🙂
🙂