The Fisherman Fountain

The Fisherman Fountain (‘Battle’), also called The Unfortunate Fisherman, is situated in the main rondel of the Great Kalemegdan Park and is the work of celebrated sculptor Simeon Roksandić. The sculpture was created in 1906, in Munich and Rome, during Roksandić’s year-long absence from the position of the teacher of drawing in the Kragujevac High-School. In 1907, it was presented to the public for the first time, at the 72nd International Art Exhibition in Rome. The sculpture was on display in the first and most important exhibition hall, and received positive criticism in Italy. The fact that the Italian royal couple, visiting the exhibition, also expressed their admiration, especially added to the work’s good reputation. The artistic value of the sculpture was also recognized by the Serbian cultural elite and it soon became part of the Serbian cultural space. A plaster model of the composition, comprised of the human figure of the fisherman and a snake, was bought by the National Museum in Belgrade in 1907. Thus, in 1907, the Fisherman sculpture was put on display in the Serbian Pavilion during the Balkan Exhibition in London, as a key art exhibit.