Fountain Basin
Owner: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Artist: unknown (bowl), Thomas Wight (pedestal)
Dates: 220 AD (bowl), 1933 (pedestal), installed 1933
Medium: Cipollino marble
Description:
AKA Rozzelle Court Fountain, A Mind Soothed
In 1933, Rozzelle Court was opened at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The centerpiece of Rozzelle Court is the Fountain Basin. The massive bowl of the fountain was carved out of a single piece of Cipollino marble and weighs approximately four tons. It was purchased in Italy in 1930. Thomas Wight of Wight and Wight Architects, the designers of the museum, designed the pedestal with four lion paws for the bowl.
Eight nozzles arch water upwards into the bowl. As the bowl fills, the overflow falls down into the pool below. There is also a fountain in the middle of the bowl. The twelve signs of the zodiac encircle the fountain in medallion form on the floor.
The Fountain Basin creates a dramatic centerpiece for Rozzelle Court. It is also a soothing backdrop for hungry patrons enjoying a meal or for museum visitors taking a break from their walk around the museum.
