The winner of the latest fountain contest is Rose Eilts of the Valentine neighborhood, who gets two tickets to the Jiggle Jam Family Music fest.
She identified the Neptune fountain at 308 West 47th St. on the Plaza.
The Roman god of the sea in his chariot was cast in 1911 by the Bromsgove Guild for the Pennsylvania estate of Alba B. Johnson, who was then president of Baldwin Locomotive Co.
After he died in 1946, the 8,000 pounds of lead depicting the sea god scene couldn’t seem to land a lasting home.
According to the latest issue of the book, “The City of Fountains,” Miller Nichols bought the piece for the worth of its weight in scrap metal after workmen at a salvage company found it in a railroad car. The JC Nichols Co. installed it in 1953 and dedicated it to all visitors at the Plaza.
The Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts in England also cast the lead Bacchus fountain outside the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza. It was a group of artists and designers that operated from 1898 to 1966.
Walter Gilbert founded the group associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, Wikipedia reports.
Among the group’s other many works are the gates of Buckingham palace and trim on the RMS Queen Mary and on the Lusitania.
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