Photos of the Beautiful Schöner Brunnen Fountain Nuremberg

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Photos of the Beautiful Medieval Schöner Brunnen Fountain Nuremberg, Germany. A wonderful Gothic figurative sculptured fountain. Photographer Paul E Williams.     (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Beautiful Schöner Brunnen Fountain Nuremberg

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Photos of the Medieval Gothic statues of the Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) Nuremberg.  

The Great Schöner Brunnen Fountain

One of the great Great Gothic Fountains in Europe is the Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) in Nuremberg’s marketplace, Germany. And indeed the Schöner Brunnen is a very beautiful fountain. The original fountain was erected between 1389 and 1396 by Heinrich Beheim and is an impressive 19 metre (62 feet) octagonal Gothic Pyramid, that narrows towards the top in three steps.

Depictions on the Schöner Brunnen Fountain

The Schöner Brunnen fountain has forty painted stone figures. The bottom row are figures symbolising Philosophy and the Seven Liberal Arts: then the four Evangelists and the four Fathers of the Church: the seven electors and nine good heroes: Finally Moses seven prophets.

Renovation of the Schöner Brunnen Fountain

The figures on the Schöner Brunnen were renovated in 1903 in their original bright colours. We have become used to Gothic statues that have lost their original paint or have faded. The figures of the Schöner Brunnen are an incredible demonstration of how vivid gothic statues were. Once all the statues on the front of the great Gothic Cathedrals, such as “Notre Dame” in Paris, would have painted.

Each statue of the Schöner Brunnen Fountain uses realistic flesh colours for the skin areas but the garments use a lot of gold leaf which creates dazzling reflections. Each figure has its own characteristics, probably modelled on real people of Nuremberg, but as is typical of the period the poses are stilted and posed.

The overall effect is both startling and impressive if not a bit gourdy to modern eyes.

The Schöner Brunnen Fountain Survives World War II

Wrapped by a concrete casing the Schöner Brunnen Fountain survived the bombing of the second world unscathed and is one of the greatest surviving examples of Gothic sculpture in Europe.