FOUNTAIN OF THE 6 SPOUTS

FOUNTAIN OF THE 6 SPOUTS

The Fountain of the Six Spouts is located on one side of the Plaza del Santo Niño. It dates from 1628 and features a late Mannerist style within the general trend of Andalusian Baroque.

According to the documentation compiled in the Book of Gaucín, it was built by Juan Alfonso IV de Guzmán el Bueno. This figure was also the third Duke of Medina Sidonia, holding the title of Lord of Gaucín. His coat of arms is featured on the triangular pediment at the top of the fountain (García Mota, 1995, pp. 104-107). It is made of sandstone and conforms to the typology of a pillar attached to a wall. Following García Mota's description (1995, pp. 104-197), it consists of three sections: the first features pilasters on both sides, the shafts of which have vertical moldings resembling ridges, perhaps from ancient pillars, thus giving it the appearance of greater height, a distinctive feature of Baroque architecture. The pillars lack bases, and their lower sections contain basins, cubic troughs, a platform, and a stone plinth.

The capitals are formed by a series of superimposed panels with curved and angular recesses, creating chiaroscuros from natural light. The front is divided into six geometric areas, with six relief faces that function as fountains.

The two heads at the ends are larger, breaking the symmetry between the figures. The whole is fused together by mortar between the numerous stones. Above the capitals, there is a frieze and a cornice that appear to support the other two sections. The second section, rectangular and framed, has brackets at the ends, whose extradoses appear to support the third section.

In the center, there is an inscription that reads: "THIS WORK WAS AND COMMANDED BY THE COUNCIL OF THIS BILL. MASTER 1628."

The highest part of the fountain is formed by a closed pediment, featuring in the center the aforementioned noble coat of arms, which represents the municipality's nobility. It is one of the few Late Mannerist works in the region and the only one in the Serranía de Ronda.