The photo depicts a weathered bronze flounder sculpture mounted on a stone pillar above a large, moss-covered oyster shell basin, forming a fountain at the Roman Baths in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam, Germany. Water spouts from the fish’s mouth into the shell, set amid lush greenery and rustic architecture.
This “Buttbrunnen” fountain, originally cast in zinc around 1830 by sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch, playfully honors Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (later King Friedrich Wilhelm IV) and his self-nickname “Butt,” referencing his stout build like the fish. Positioned at the Roman Baths entrance, built 1829–1840 by architects Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ludwig Persius, it embodies the king’s romantic, Italian-inspired vision for the park. A later limestone version on Berlin’s Museumsinsel, created in 1916 by Robert Schirmer, serves as an homage to this Sanssouci original, incorporating local river motifs. The current bronze recast from 1982 preserves the patinated, naturalistic charm seen in the image.
“The Fisherman and His Wife” is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale (KHM 19) from 1812, warning against unchecked greed.
Plot Summary
A poor fisherman catches a magical talking flounder, an enchanted prince, and releases it out of pity. His greedy wife Ilsebill sends him back repeatedly to wish for escalating luxuries: a cottage, castle, church, become emperor, pope, then God’s command over sun and moon.
Each time, the flounder grants the wish with worsening storms at sea, but the fisherman obeys reluctantly. Finally, demanding divine power proves too much; the flounder revokes everything, returning them to their original filthy hovel forever.
Key Quote
“Flounder, flounder in the sea, / My wife wants, my wife wants, / What I will not say to thee.”
Floundering like a fish out of water. Reminds me of the Grimm fairy tale about “The Fisherman and His Wife”. Story, a warning against unchecked greed, summarized in ALT text. Relevant today more than ever.
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