Fountain of the Mariblanca

The Fountain of the Mariblanca is a huge monument located in the Plaza de San Antonio de Aranjuez, in front of the House of Knights and Trades, in Aranjuez on the outskirts of the province of Madrid. It is one of the most emblematic places in the city and is loved by its inhabitants.

The Fountain was built in the mid-18th century, and is the work of the sculptor Juan Reyna. It was originally crowned by a statue of King Ferdinand VI looking towards the bridge, as the owner of the town to be receiving his visitors.

In 1760 the statue was replaced with one of Venus holding a jug and in 1830 the entire fountain was reworked by Alejandro González de Velázquez. This included adding a group of lizards around the fountain, conch shells on top, putti riding on tritons and three lions, two of them with balls in their claws and a third holding a castle.

Facts

Did you know that putto, plural putti, were nude chubby child figures, often with wings, frequently appearing in both mythological and religious paintings and sculpture, especially of the Renaissance