Fountain of the Favorite
Description:
The Fountain of the Favorite, or Favorite, is one of the most interesting and original fountains of Peterhof. It is located behind the western Voronikha colonnade. The fountain was made in three months of 1725 by order of Catherine I, it was designed by architect M. Zemtsov. The fountain vividly illustrates the fable of J. Lafontaine “Ducks and Poodle”: “The dog Favourite chases ducks on the water then the ducks told her: You suffer in vain, you have the power to chase us, only do not have the power to catch.”
The composition of the fountain is constantly in motion: in a small pool, a funny dog chases around the circle of four copper, brightly painted with oil ducks. From the duck beaks and mouths of dogs, streams of water fly out. As a musical accompaniment, the barking of a dog and the quacking of ducks sound.
The figures of the fountain are set in motion by a special mechanism hidden at the bottom of the pool.
During the Great Patriotic War, the fountain was destroyed. In 1957, the water supply device of the fountain was reconstructed, the duck and the dog Favoritka were recreated from copper.