Captain Arthur Phillip
Fountain

Public
Art: Captain Arthur Phillip Fountain
Sculptor: © Achille Simonetti (sculptor James White also
assisted)
Date: 1897
Location: In the Royal
Botanic Gardens near the intersection of Macquarie Street and Shakespeare Place,
Sydney, Australia.
Cast
: Florence, Italy, by F.Galli.
Commission:
Sir Henry Parkes at a cost of £13,000
( the costliest of its kind at the time).
Description:
The fountain features a marble
pedestal for which the bronze likeness of Captain
Phillips adorns. The rectangular pedestal features three
reliefs of Justice, Patriotism and Education. Below the
pedestal are the reclining bronze figures of Neptune,
Agriculture, Cyclops and Commerce. But wait there is
more, between the figures are paired dolphins separated
by four marble consoles embelished with bronze plaques of
Aboriginal people. And last but no least the four giant
marble clam shells featuring four bronze prows of ships
which feed the water into the white marble
basins.
History of The
Captain Arthur Phillips Fountain:
The Captain Arthur
Phillips Fountain was erected in the Royal Botanical
Gardens in 1897, by the Governor of New South Wales,
Viscount Hampden, following the devastating
fire which destroyed the Garden Palace and left a city in mourning. The
fountain and sculpture was erected in celebration of the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s Reign. It was Sir Henry
Parkes friend and Balmain neighbor, Italian born sculptor
Achille Simonetti, who was given the job. Simonetti, at the
time, was a modeling instructor at the school of the NSW
Academy of Art.
Brief History of Captain Arthur Phillips
: So who was this Captain? He was appointed
Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the
Australian continent, and was the founder of the site which is
now the city of Sydney. Here is a really short history
lesson, when Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Botany Bay
(First Fleet), on 18 January 1788, following eight months at
sea, he was none too amused with the location recommended by
Joseph Banks. The bay had inadequate anchorage and
inadequate water supply for the 11 ships and hundreds of
disgruntled passengers (and livestock), so he set out
with a party of officers in a small boat to find a more
suitable location. They eventually found the perfect harbour
and Phillip christened it Sydney Cove, after the British Home
Secretary, Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, in recognition of
Lord Sydney's role in issuing the charter authorising Phillip
to establish a colony. Phillip was the first New
South Wales Governor from 26th January 1788 until 10th
December,1792.


Inscription:
Captain Arthur Phillip, R.N.
First Governor of NSW
1788 - 1792
This monument was unveiled by
the Rt. Hon. Viscount Hampden
- 19th Governor on the 22nd
June, 1897.
Sixtieth year of the reign
of Her Majesty Queen Victoria |
Controversy:
Hard to imagine this ornate memorial
fountain having any controversy (I jest). Yes, poor
Simonetti suffered nearly a decade of pain, thanks to
both political and aesthetic debates. It seems he was
pressured by lovers of allegorical and naturalistic
sculpture, resulting in him eventually producing an
ungainly combination of the two.
Crazy
Facts: The Greek portico was not
added until the 1930's (why bother?).

Sad
Facts: I have just done a little bit of
rummaging and I have uncovered a sad little fact. Poor old
Captain Phillip's bones are missing! Yes indeed. The remains of
the founder of Sydney, Australia, have been lost by the Church
of England, and no one knows the location to this day. Bad
enough he was laid to rest in St Nicholas Church, Bathampton,
BUT to be mislaid as well. Reminds me of the sad old tale
of Sir Captain James Stirling. Just dreadful. Geoffrey
Robertson Q.C. has vowed to locate the bones of our "national
treasure" and return them to Australia. I shall keep you
informed.

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