In the centre of the Plaza de la Magdalena there is a marble fountain from 1844, crowned by an 18th century sculpture representing the muse Calliope. The fountain is made up of a large polygonal vessel, in the centre of which there is a stem-shaft divided into two bodies by a second vessel, this time circular.
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- Fuente de Calíope en la plaza de la Magdalena *
The first body of the shaft is decorated at its base with scallops, royal crowns, the symbol of the city (NO8DO) and the aforementioned date of the fountain's creation. In its cylindrical part there are several male mythological figures linked to the aquatic world (tritons). The circular vessel that supports this first body is ribbed and surrounded by four fountain masks through which the water falls to the sea of the fountain.
Crowning the whole, we find a female sculpture holding a laurel wreath in her right hand. It could be the muse Calliope, protector of epic poetry and eloquence.
The square where the fountain is located was occupied by the primitive parish of La Magdalena, which today is located a few meters further west. This church was demolished in 1810, during the French occupation of the city. After the expulsion of the French, an attempt was made to rebuild the temple, but finally it was decided to open a square in its place, at which time the fountain was installed.
Elements from earlier sources were used for its construction. The main vessel comes from a fountain that was located in front of the Hospital de la Misericordia, in the current Plaza Zurbarán. It is probably of Italian origin and dates back to the Renaissance.
For its part, the first body of the central shaft and the circular vessel come from a mannerist fountain that was located in the Alameda in the 16th century. Finally, the female sculpture that tops the ensemble comes from the 18th century sculpture collection that the Archbishop's Palace of Umbrete held. A good part of the sculptures from this collection are now found decorating the Garden of Delights, in the south of the city.
This combination of origins gives the fountain a rather eclectic character, mixing the classicism of the Renaissance and the 18th century with the 19th century romanticism of the time when it was recomposed.
“Calliope, in Greek mythology, according to Hesiod’s Theogony, foremost of the nine Muses; she was later called the patron of epic poetry. At the behest of Zeus, the king of the gods, she judged the dispute between the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone over Adonis. In most accounts she and King Oeagrus of Thrace were the parents of Orpheus, the lyre-playing hero. She was also loved by the god Apollo, by whom she had two sons, Hymen and Ialemus. Other versions present her as the mother of Rhesus, king of Thrace and a victim of the Trojan War; or as the mother of Linus the musician, inventor of melody and rhythm. Her image appears on the François Vase, made by the potter Ergotimos about 570 bce.”
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Calliope". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Dec. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Calliope-Greek-Muse
