The Great Fountain
ARCHITECTURAL f2v · p.80
From the 1499 Aldine first edition (University of Seville copy, via Internet Archive)
Full-page woodcut of an elaborate tiered fountain. Three levels: sea-horses at base, grotesque masks and sphinxes at middle, nude Venus figure under arching water jets at top.
In the Narrative
The most architecturally ambitious fountain in the HP. Its three tiers represent the three levels of being: marine (water/matter), grotesque (transformation), and divine (Venus/beauty). The fountain is both an architectural fantasy and an alchemical diagram.
Related Folio
Folio f2vSource: LLM_ASSISTED · HIGH