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This is believed to be the only complete table fountain remaining from the Middle Ages. Hundreds of such objects--known from French, Burgundian, and Flemish inventories--graced the tables of medieval princes. This example was designed both as a completely functional mechanism and as an extravagant and fanciful work of art.
Originally, the table fountain would have stood in a large catch basin. Water pumped through a central tube (perhaps by means of a foot pump beneath the table), would have emerged at the top through a series of nozzles (shaped as animals and drolleries), creating water jets that in turn forced the rotation of the water wheels and rang the tiny bells. The water would have cascaded from one level to the next through gargoyle heads, finally refilling the catch basin for yet another cycle. Clearly a feat of technical ingenuity, the fountain must have delighted and entertained guests at an elegant table through the motion of cascading water and the accompanying sound of ringing bells.
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