''Jeanneke Pis'' (; ) is a modern fountain sculpture in central
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium. It was
commissioned by
Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 as a counterpoint to the city's famous ''
Manneken Pis
''Manneken Pis'' (; ) is a landmark bronze fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, depicting a puer mingens; a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Though its existence is attested as early as the 15th century, it wa ...
''.
[ ] The
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
statue depicts a little girl with short
pigtail
A woman with long pigtails and braids.
In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...
s,
squatting
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
and urinating on a blue-grey
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
base.
''Jeanneke Pis'' is located north of the
Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), on the eastern side of the /, a narrow
cul-de-sac
A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet.
The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...
some long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed /. The sculpture is now protected from
vandalism
Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...
by iron bars.
History
Conception
Debouvrie got the idea of ''Jeanneke Pis'' in 1985 as a way to restore then-waning interest in the small alley in Brussels called the / ("Fidelity Alley"), where he owned many restaurants. He also saw it as a metaphorical way of "restoring equality between men and women" by creating a feminine counterpart to the city's illustrious sculpture ''Manneken Pis''.
The idea for the statue is said to have come to him while he was having breakfast one day, and he sketched it out on the tablecloth. Upon completing the sketch, Debouvrie is purported to have said, "Now we have gender equality."
[ The appearance of the girl is said to have been inspired by how Debouvrie's younger sister Jenny looked when she was a child.][
]
Inauguration
Many inauguration ceremonies were held for the statue's reveal in June of 1987, two in particular being of note. At the first ceremony, the guests of honour were the mayor of the City of Brussels
This is a list of mayors or burgomasters of the City of Brussels.
Burgundian Netherlands (1384–1482)
*1380: Geert Pipenpoy
*1381: Geert Pipenpoy and Jacques Stovaert
*1421: J. Swaeff, J. Cooman
*1422: Walter Vanden Heetvelde, Petrus van Bole ...
and ''The Order of the Friends of Manneken Pis'', the non-profit organisation that manages the costumes that ''Manneken Pis'' wears. The second ceremony saw the appearance of the Italian politician and former porn
Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults, star Ilona Staller
Ilona Staller (born 26 November 1951), widely known by her stage name Cicciolina ("little chubby one"), is a Hungarian-Italian former porn star, politician, and singer.
Early life
Ilona was born in Budapest, Hungary. Her father, László Sta ...
, also known as "Cicciolina", as a way of symbolising the naturalism that the statue represents.[
Eventually, the statue was put behind iron bars to protect it from vandals, as people had been touching the area surrounding the statue and ruining it. This is also to prevent it from being stolen, as its predecessor ''Manneken Pis'' had been multiple times in the past.
]
Legacy
Coin tossing and charity
From the time the statue was erected, passers-by began tossing coins into its basin. Taking note of this, the non-profit organisation ASBL Horizon-Espoir was formed in 1987, with the aim of collecting coins from the statue's basin and donate them to organisations looking to find a treatment for AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
. Since then, the money has also been donated to organisations like the National Fund for Scientific Research
The National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR) (Dutch: ''Nationaal Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek'' (NFWO), French: ''Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique'' (FNRS)) was once a government institution in Belgium for supporting scient ...
and UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
.[
The frequent coin tossing also gave birth to a legend: in addition to coin-tossers possibly having a wish of theirs come true—a tradition associated with other fountains the world over—lovers who toss in a coin will be promised fidelity in their love life.][ A plaque was put up next to the statue describing this:
]
In December of 2021, the plaque was replaced with a new one, written from the perspective of the statue itself:
Impasse de la Fidélité
By 2003, ''Jeanneke Pis'' had brought so much attention to the Impasse de la Fidélité that it led to the creation of the Delirium Café, which has since become known worldwide for its extensive beer menu. Several other establishments have also been set up in the alley, thus helping to realise Debouvrie's vision of making it a site in Brussels worth visiting.[
]
See also
* ''Het Zinneke
''Het Zinneke'' ( Brusselian dialect for "the mutt"), sometimes called ''Zinneke Pis'' by analogy with ''Manneken Pis'', is a bronze sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium, erected in 1998. Created by Tom Frantzen, it represents a urinating d ...
''
* Piss (Černý)
''Piss'' ( cs, Čůrající postavy) is an outdoor 2004 sculpture and fountain by Czech artist David Černý, installed outside the Franz Kafka Museum in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic.
Description
The fountain's basin is made of bronze and ...
* Sculpture in Brussels
* List of depictions of urine in art
Depictions of urine in art include:
* ''Bad Bad Boy'', Helsinki, Finland
* ''Fideicommissum'', Wanås, Sweden
* '' Fuente de los Niños Miones'', Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
* '' Het Zinneke'', Brussels, Belgium
* '' To Pee in Public or Private ...
References
Notes
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.jeannekepis.be
Buildings and structures in Brussels
Bronze sculptures in Belgium
1987 sculptures
Tourist attractions in Brussels
Fountains in Belgium
City of Brussels
Fictional Belgian people
Fictional children
Sculptures of children
Squatting position