Description of the attraction
Fountains "Adam" and "Eve" are paired fountains of the palace and park complex "Peterhof". They are located on the axis of the park's main alley, the Marlinskaya Alley, which runs parallel to the coastline. Fountain "Adam" is located in the eastern part of the park, and "Eve" - in the west. These fountains are the semantic and compositional centers of the corresponding parts of the park and are located in their central points. Fountains "Adam" and "Eve" attract attention from afar, appearing in perspectives from different points of view. Small areas are organized around the fountains, from which rays of large and small alleys radiate.
Both fountains are identical by the type of engineering and artistic solution. The architectural design of these fountains is quite simple: the pool of each fountain is made of profiled hewn granite and in the plan is a regular octagon with a diagonal of 17 m. A sculpture is installed on a high pedestal in the center of the fountains, which is framed by a circle consisting of sixteen inclined strong jets 7 m high. The fountains are distinguished by the abundance of water and the beauty of the water pattern. The device of water cannons is made in such a way that, rising high, the water breaks up into large drops and is not sprayed to the sides, and the falling of drops into the pool can be seen from afar.
The sculptures for the Adam and Eve fountains were designed by the Venetian sculptor Giovanni Bonazza. He received an order from the Russian diplomatic representative in Italy, S. L. Raguzinsky, who acted on behalf of Peter the Great. Most likely, this order involved the production of copies of the famous Renaissance statues of Adam and Eve, which adorn the Doge's Palace, belonging to the hand of the 15th century sculptor. But G. Bonazza filled the forms of the statues in a different way and interpreted their details, while retaining the poses and general composition, introducing baroque influences into their style. Such a symbiosis of the two styles determined the master's creative success: Raguzinsky wrote to the tsar that such sculptures had not been seen even in Versailles.
The sculptures of Adam and Eve were delivered to Peterhof in 1718. At first they were placed on pedestals as park sculptures in the center of the grounds, on which fountains were later laid. When in October 1722 work was completed on the construction of the fountain basin designed by Nicolo Michetti, the figure of Adam took its place today. Peter the Great was in no hurry to equip the second fountain. It started working only during the reign of Catherine I in 1726. The pool for the Eva fountain was built according to the project and under the direction of the architect N. Usov.
From the very beginning, the symbolism of these paired fountains was interpreted quite simply: Adam and Eve, who are the progenitors of the human race, are allegorical images of Peter and Catherine, the progenitors of the Russian Empire. This interpretation was developed during the reign of Catherine I; After all, it was not for nothing that the Eva fountain was built at her order.
The twin fountains "Adam" and "Eve" are the only ones in the Peterhof ensemble that have retained their original sculptural design; for almost three hundred years they have not changed.
The compositions of the platforms near the fountains are complemented by trellis pavilions. Long before the fountains started working, wooden arbors appeared here; their number changed from year to year, and their appearance also changed. Those that are installed here today were recreated at "Adam" - in the 70s of the 20th century, at "Eve" - in the 2000s, and resemble those gazebos that were installed here according to the drawings of F. Brower at the beginning of the 19th v.
