It was designed to provide fresh drinking water to the population of the neighborhood and to commemorate the victories of Napoleon Bonaparte.

It was designed by the engineer François-Jean Bralle, who was in charge of the Paris fountains and water supply during the First Empire.

The present statue is a copy; the original is in the courtyard of the Carnavalet Museum of the history of Paris.

Around the base of the column are four statues representing Vigilance, Justice, Strength and Prudence, also made by Boizot.

[3] At that time the base was also decorated with statues of Egyptian sphinxes spouting streams of water, sculpted by Henri Alfred Jacquemart.