Фонтанът с розова вода – запазена марка за образа ни пред света, или за странстванията на една нимфа
Rose water fountains: Bulgaria’s hallmark at expos; a Nymph’s worldwide tours

Summary/Abstract: The design and presentation of the production of rose water and attar of roses at international expos in the early twentieth century are under consideration. Art processes, displays of various historical styles in their local specifics, and the creative contribution of their authors, paramount to the history of fine arts, are traced from showcasing of vials to the ‘revolutionary concept of fountains of rose water to dioramas. Written records on this topic of international events held prior to 1900 are adduced. A Fountain of Industries mounted at the Universal Exposition. St. Louis, USA, 1904 by Boris Schatz is examined. The art concept and design of rose water dioramas by Charalampi Tatchev at the expos in Liège (1905), Milan (1906) and the rose water fountain at Balkan States Exhibition, London (1907) are analysed. The sculpture Nymph by Zheko Spiridonov is of special interest in this context and his career in Bulgarian fine arts is traced. The Nymph was conceived in Munich to be executed in Prague and exhibited in Sofia, Munich and Paris, was put on display in Belgium (1905), Italy (1906) and Great Britain (1907), becoming part of this country’s cultural heritage as a museum exhibit (1919); yet the sculpture left Bulgaria decades after touring Europe. This country’s participation in the expos in Thessalonica (1926, 1927, 1930) is also examined. Rose water fountains have also been recorded at the expos in Paris (1937) and Vienna (1954). Rose water fountains in various combinations of varying quality of their designs were a constant element of Bulgaria’s presentation regardless of the political governments, style movements or their designers

• Details
• Contents