Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis
ArtistJérôme Duquesnoy the Elder
Year
  • 1619 (1619): original version
  • 1965 (1965): existing version
TypeBronze
SubjectPuer mingens
Dimensions55.5 cm (21.9 in)
LocationCity of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°50′42″N 4°21′00″E / 50.8449861°N 4.3499932°E / 50.8449861; 4.3499932
WebsiteOfficial website

Manneken Pis (Dutch for "Little Pissing Man") is a famous fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium. The bronze sculpture is 55.5 cm (21.9 in) tall. It shows a naked little boy peeing into the fountain's basin. It has existed since at least the middle of the 15th century. Manneken Pis was remade by the sculptor Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1619. The stone decoration around it was added in 1770. The statue has been stolen or damaged many times. Since 1965, a copy has been shown in its place. The original is in the Brussels City Museum.

Manneken Pis is one of the best-known symbols of Brussels and Belgium, and it has inspired several legends. There are many statues like it, both in Belgium and in other countries. The figure is often dressed up and it has around one thousand costumes. Since 2017, they have been shown in a museum called GardeRobe MannekenPis. Manneken Pis is also an example of belgitude (French; lit. 'Belgianness') and local humour.

Location

Manneken Pis is about five minutes' walk from the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), at the crossing of the Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat and the pedestrian Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat. It is served by the premetro (underground tram) station Bourse/Beurs (on lines 4 and 10), as well as the bus stop Grand-Place/Grote Markt (on lines 33, 48 and 95).

Similar statues

Jeanneke Pis

Manneken Pis is not the only peeing statue in Brussels. Since 1987, there has been a female version, Jeanneke Pis ("Little Pissing Joan"). It is on a small dead end street called the Impasse de la Fidélité/Getrouwheidsgang ("Fidelity Alley"), near the Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat, in central Brussels. The 50-centimetre (20 in) bronze sculpture shows a little girl with short pigtails, squatting and peeing into a small fountain. It is protected from damage by iron bars.

Zinneke Pis

There is also the statue of a dog peeing in a similar way, called Zinneke Pis. It was made in 1998.

References

  1. ↑ Deligne 2008.
  2. ↑ Miller 1998.
  3. 1 2 3 De Roose 1999.
  4. 1 2 De Vries 2003.
  5. ↑ Des Marez 1918.
  6. ↑ Willsher, Kim (6 August 2015). "Fake pisstake? Scientists re-examine Belgium's celebrated Manneken Pis". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Couvreur, Deknop & Symons 2005.
  8. ↑ "New Brussels museum displays costumes of Manneken Pis statue". Reuters. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  9. ↑ Fun, Everything is (2017-03-10). "GardeRobe MannekenPis". Brussels Museums. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  10. ↑ Bainbrigge, Susan (2009). Culture and identity in Belgian francophone writing: dialogue, diversity and displacement. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-03-911382-8.
  11. ↑ State 2004.
  12. ↑ "ZWANZE: Définition de ZWANZE". www.cnrtl.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  13. ↑ "Ligne 33 vers DANSAERT - stib.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  14. ↑ "Ligne 48 vers ANNEESSENS - stib.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  15. ↑ "Ligne 95 vers GRAND-PLACE - stib.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  16. ↑ "Jeanneke Pis". visit.brussels. Retrieved 2018-06-15.

Bibliography