Latona Fountain

She forbade any mortals to give hospitality to Latona and her children, who were forced to wander the earth fleeing Juno's persecution, until at last they came to Lycia.

Enraged at their treatment of her, Latona cursed the Lycians to live in their pond forever, and they were transformed into frogs as punishment.

The statue was placed on a low foundation of rocks at the center of the fountain, from where Latona faced eastwards toward the palace.

[5] Hardouin-Mansart designed a much grander fountain of four oval tiers forming a pyramid, topped by Gaspard Marsy's statue (looking west over the gardens and the Grand Canal rather than towards the palace) and enhanced all around with the original figures of Balthazard Marsy and an assortment of gilded frogs and lizards sculpted by Claude Bertin.

The fountain itself was in a serious state of neglect, requiring total dismantlement for off-site restoration of individual parts.