Marmouset of the fountain on the Place Saint-Étienne in Toulouse, 1593 (bronze)

One of the four bronze marmousets adorning the fountain at Place Saint-Étienne in Toulouse (France, Occitanie, Haute-Garonne) - Originally, these small figures by the sculptor Antoine Bachelier and cast by Pierre Chevenet let the water flow as if they were relieving their bladder in the basin. Made in 1593, they therefore predated the famous Manneken Pis in Brussels, built in 1620. However, in 1649, after a scandal and complaints from residents shocked by the nudity of the marmosets while urinating, the municipality ordered the fountain to be modified. Acts of vandalism and theft of? 0075th of the statues led the King's fountain master, Moratio Ferrari, to redesign the sculptures to make them modest, the water now escaping from the mouths of the fish they were holding in their hands - Modesty, Prudery, Pudibonderie.