Merkur-Brunnen (Mercury Fountain) by Hugo Lederer, 1916
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage
Frankfurt, September 2024
“The Mercury Fountain was donated in 1909 by banker Anton L.A. Hahn, but not completed until 1916 by his sons Louis Alfred and Ludwig Arnold Hahn in memory of their father. Initially erected on Komödienplatz (later Rathenauplatz), it was relocated around 1954 to the grounds in front of the main entrance to the exhibition center. Its decor is perfectly suited to this location, as the Roman god Mercury was believed to protect trade and commerce. A bronze figure of Mercury stands on a stone fountain post with a stepped double ring decorated with rams' heads. The figure is life-size, nude, and wears the typical winged hat; its upper body slightly turned away, it weighs a bag of gold pieces in its hands. The basin of this neoclassical ornamental fountain is a monolithic granite bowl. The water runs over its scaled ring and cascades through a concealed gap into the depths. The basin stands on four spheres above a surface of two octagonal steps.” (Merkur-Brunnen, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Frankfurt)
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