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Children and Frog

Children and Frog is a sculptural fountain group located in Odesa on Theatre Square, near the English Club building. It is one of several replicas of a French sculpture composition by a French sculptor. The Odesa version is also known as Narcissus, while related versions are titled Youth in Dijon and Fairy-Tale Fountain in Germany and Switzerland. The original composition was shown in a Paris art salon in 1904 and quickly became popular. The Odesa replica appeared in 1905–1907 and likely decorated the garden of jeweler Akiym Biska’s villa on French Boulevard. In 1925, it was moved to Theatre Square, where it later stood near the wall of the English Club, then used by the Museum of the Maritime Fleet.

The Children and Frog sculpture on a weathered pillar, surrounded by a flowerbed with red blossoms and a low metal fence.
Children and Frog sculpture with a flowerbed and fountain setting in Odessa.
July 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Stone monument with three seated figures, known as Children and Frog, standing on a lawn with an ornate building behind it.
The Children and Frog sculpture is shown outdoors in front of an ornate building.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Light-colored stone sculpture of three youths on a rocky base beneath a bright blue sky, with scaffolding and a Cyrillic banner behind them.
The Children and Frog sculpture, shown here from a low angle with scaffolding and a Cyrillic banner in the background.
September 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Children and Frog fountain sculpture in a public square with classical buildings in the background.
The Children and Frog fountain sculpture stands in a landscaped square, with ornate architecture visible behind it.
1942 © Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
A light-colored stone Children and Frog monument stands in a fenced oval plot on a foggy square, with an ornate building in the background.
The Children and Frog monument in a misty square, with an ornate historic building behind it.
April 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleChildren and Frog
Original titleYouth
Other namesNarcissus; Fountain of Youth; Fairy Tale Fountain; "Children and Frog" in Ukrainian: Діти і жабеня; in Russian: Дети и лягушки

Historical context

Date first presented1904
First presented atParis Art Salon
Replicas madeSeveral replicas were made to order

Creator

ArtistMax Blondat
Original composition authorA French sculptor not named in the source fragment

Discovery and provenance

ReceptionThe work was successful and immediately popular, attracting buyers from several European countries
Acquired byAn affluent resident of Odessa
Ukrainian version dateApproximately 1905–1907
Possible original location in OdessaThe garden of jeweler Akim Bisk's villa on French Boulevard, 26, Odessa
Provenance hypothesisOdessa local historians Elena Krasnova and Anatoly Drozdovsky suggested this was the sculpture's original location
Akim BiskWell-known jeweler in Southern Russia and father of poet and translator Alexander Bisk
Later fate of estate siteBuildings of Odessa University were later erected there
Post-nationalization contextAfter Soviet power was established, immovable property was nationalized, and Bisk's dacha suffered this fate
Production contextThe sculptor agreed to produce modified sculptural groups for different buyers, with changes possibly made to suit individual commissions

Physical characteristics

SubjectThree sitting children and a frog
Variation between versionsVersions differ in the number of frogs and in details of the stone carving, while the three seated children are identical in all cases
TypeMarble sculptural composition-fountain
CompositionA sculptural group of three seated children on a stone base, with frogs added in different installations

Appearance

Classical version arrangementThree frogs sit opposite the children at the other end of the fountain and emit three water jets
Possible original appearance in OdessaIt is possible that the Odessa fountain originally also had three frogs, which may later have been replaced by a single frog

Location and ownership

Related installationsReplicas are located in Dijon, Düsseldorf, Zurich, and Denver
Current locationTheater Square, Odesa, Ukraine, near the English Club building at 6 Langeronivska Street
Location in 1925Teatralna Square, Odesa
Year installed1925
Original placement on the squareIn the center of a flowerbed between the City Theatre and the English Club building, closer to the Opera Theater wall
Later relocationIn the 1970s, moved closer to the English Club building
Soviet-period use of English Club buildingIt housed the Odessa Museum of the Navy / Museum of the Sea Fleet
Denver locationNo specific location given in the source fragment
Düsseldorf locationAn old palace park, described as the first public park in Germany
Dijon locationDarcys Square in the city center, surrounded by picturesque flowerbeds

History and restoration

Vandalism historyRepeatedly vandalized on Theatrical Square
Düsseldorf later actionBefore the fountain's 80th anniversary, the city moved the marble sculptures to a museum and installed bronze copies in the park
Düsseldorf conservation historyDespite a protective fence, vandals repeatedly caused significant damage to the marble figures
Repairs after vandalismCity services repeatedly repaired the damage
Damage caused by vandalsChildren's figures had limbs broken off; the frog was smashed or stolen

Significance

Reception in DüsseldorfThe fountain has often been drawn by artists and appears in many photographs and postcards from different periods

Other

Related uses of motif by artistMax Blondat also used the motif for household objects such as a porcelain inkstand, gilt-bronze ashtray, and wooden figurine