Fontaine des Mers

You are looking at the Fontaine des Mers, a monumental centerpiece of the Place de la Concorde. Architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff designed this fountain to serve as a companion to the Luxor Obelisk, which was erected in the center of the square in the early nineteenth century. Its construction was part of a grand plan by King Louis-Philippe to transform the space into a unified emblem of national glory following the French Revolution. Hittorff drew direct inspiration for its design from the fountains located in Saint Peter Square in Rome, adapting their grand, circular aesthetic to the vast scale of the Parisian plaza.