Fountain Place aux aires - Grasse

The fountain à quatre vasques (Fountain with Four Basins) on the Place aux Aires in Grasse is one of the city's most iconic fountains and was built in 1821.

The fountain consists of four round basins (vasques) that are placed in a stepped manner above each other. The water flows gracefully from top to bottom. The pedestal is octagonal and rests on a stone basin , in which the water is collected. Made entirely of local limestone (possibly from the nearby plateau of Caussols). The style is sober and elegant , in keeping with the classicist fashion of the early 19th century.

In summer it is often decorated with flowers, ribbons or temporary art.

In the early 19th century, Grasse, like many cities in the South of France, had a rapidly growing population . There was a need for drinking water points for residents, water for market use (washing vegetables, cooling produce), public hygiene , and to combat odors or waste water on busy squares. The fountain thus served as a central water distribution before the construction of modern pipe systems.

The fountain was a status symbol , in keeping with the bourgeois character of the square. It replaced older, rudimentary fountains or water chutes. The design with four graceful vasques exuded order, symmetry and elegance – ideal for a “city of perfumers”.

Willem Vandenameele