Statues - Hither & Thither

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Toulouse
Haute-Garonne
Midi-Pyrénées

Place de la Concorde

La fontaine Belle-Paule

Beautiful Paule Fountain

Clémence Isaure, alias "la belle Paule"

Léo Laporte-Blairsy
1910

Description

Bronze statue of a women with a flower guirlande on a column sculpted with reliefs of young girls. The columns stands in a hexagonal fountain basin with in the sides three inscriptions flanked by coats of arms and three reliefs with views of Toulouse:

The cloister of the Couvent des Augustins (Augustinian convent)

The Pont Neuf

The Pont Saint-Pierre (built 1849/52, demolished 1932), with the Pont Neuf in the background

Inscription(s)

LEGS SAGE

avx jevx floravx
a la ville de toulouse

leo laporte blairsy
statuaire

Je scrute du regard cette ville éclatante
Ou la joie et le deuil ont mèlé leurs couleurs
Et parmi tant de voix dont la douceur me tente
J'hésite et je ne sais a qui donner mes fleur

Pipert

O moun pays o Toulouso Toulouso
Qu'aymi tas flous toun cel toun soulel d'or
Al prep de tu l'amo se sent hurouso
Et tout ayssi me rejouis le cor

Mengaud

Signed: (statue) l. laporte blairsy

Annotation

The fountain was was created through a bequest of Octave Sage, negociant of Toulouse, of the "toulousaine des jeux floraux" - Toulouse Academy of floral games. The company of the Floral Games was founded in 1323 by seven troubadours, they have their festival on May 3. At the end of the 15th century, a mysterious lady Clemence Isaure protects and restores the Floral Games, which they experienced various vicissitudes before being reborn in 1895 at the instigation of Frédéric Mistral, with new competition of the langue d'oc.

From the column turtles spout water, in the basin are toads watching the column.

Sculptor

Léo Laporte-Blairsy (Toulouse 1865 - Paris 1923), French sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Chantal, Fontaines de Toulouse.
Le blog de Véronique D, Toulouse, la fontaine Belle-Paule.
Wikipedia, Chalets (Toulouse).

Locatie (N 43°36'44" - E 1°26'43") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: frmp055; Photograph: 2 September 2011
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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