Neptune Statue, (sculpture).

Neptune Statue, (sculpture).

Unknown (Italian), sculptor.

Allen, Frederick Warren, 1888-1961, sculptor.

Keefe, Chester P., II, architect.

Neptune Statue, (sculpture).

Bronze Relief Portrait of Charles Emerson Hovey, (sculpture).

Hovey Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Fountain dedicated Aug. 14, 1911 or 1912. Relief portrait cast 1918. Fountain relocated 1976. Fountain rededicated July or August 28, 1976.

Fountain and relief portrait: bronze; Base: Carrara marble; Basin: red brick and painted concrete (?).

Fountain: approx. H. 53 1/2 in. x Diam. 46 in.; Relief portrait: approx. 10 1/2 x 10 1/4 x 12 in.; Basin: approx. H. 26 in. x Diam. 20 ft.

(On proper left lower corner of relief portrait:) Fecit '18/F.W. Allen (On bronze plaque on one side of basin:) IN MEMORY OF/CHARLES EMERSON HOVEY/ENSIGN, UNITED STATES NAVY/BORN IN THIS CITY/JANUARY 10, 1885/KILLED IN ACTION/PHILIPPINE ISLANDS SEPTEMBER 24, 1911/SON OF/REVEREND HENRY EMERSON HOVEY/AND LOUISE FOLSOM HOVEY (On bronze plaque on other side of basin:) Ensign Hovey/was graduated from the/U.S. Naval Academy of 1907/and ordered to/the Philippines 1910/He was commanding a/detachment of men from/the U.S.S. "Pampanga" in pursuit/of outlaw moros in the island/of Basilan when his party/was ambushed and he/himself mortally wounded signed

A nude figure of Neptune stands partially draped in a flowing cloak strapped over his proper left shoulder. A face is carved on the clasp of the strap. The cloak wraps around his body, crossing the torso and flaring out in back. Neptune holds a trident in his proper left hand, the base resting in front of his proper left foot. He holds a spouting fish aloft in his raised proper right hand and water cascades down his arm. The figure is placed atop a small square base that is decorated at each corner by four large concave shells with wavy edges. Above the shells, fish-like heads spout water into the shells. The shell base rests atop a column-like marble base embellished with two swags of fruit, leaves, and pine cones which encircle the column. The fountain rests in a large circular basin with a brick rim adorned with three bronze plaques. The plaque on the front contains a relief portrait of Ensign Charles Emerson Hovey dressed in his military uniform. The other two plaques contain inscriptions.

Portrait male -- Hovey, Charles Emerson -- Bust

Occupation -- Military -- Sailor

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Mythology -- Classical -- Neptune

Object -- Weapon -- Spear

Outdoor Sculpture -- New Hampshire -- Portsmouth

Administered by City of Portsmouth, Trustees of Portsmouth's Trust Funds, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

Located Prescott Park, Marcy Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Previously located Federal building at State & Pleasant Streets, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Previously located Post Office, 40 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1912.

Gift of Hovey, Louise Folsom, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1912.

The fountain was given to the City of Portsmouth by Mrs. Louise Folsom Hovey in memory of her son Charles Emerson Hovey who was killed in the Philippines. On January 29, 1912, the Portsmouth City Council agreed to accept a public drinking fountain that Mrs. Hovey proposed to bring with her from England. The base of the fountain was carved from Carrara marble in Florence Italy and contained shell basins and three dolphins entwined around a marble column. An antique figure of a young Neptune taken from an old palace in Siena was placed at the top of the fountain. And later, in 1918, a bronze relief portrait of Ensign Hovey by F. W. Allen was added to the fountain.

The fountain was first located on the curb near the Post Office, however, with the rise in vehicular traffic this site was deemed dangerous and the fountain was moved to the south lawn of the federal building. The fountain remained at this spot for many years until Mrs. William W. Howells, the niece of Ensign Hovey, campaigned to have it moved to a more prominent location. In 1974, the proposed site of Prescott Park was accepted. The fountain was dismantled in 1974, but because it was too late in the season to start work at the new location the fountain was stored in the Shaw Warehouse for the winter. The fountain was damaged in the move.

The marble base of the fountain proved too damaged to retain, so it was decided to abandon the drinking fountain arrangement in favor of a new circular brick basin which was designed by architect, Chester P. Keefe II. The bronze figure was placed in the center of the basin and the relief portrait and accompanying plaques were attached to the rim of the basin. The move and the new basin were financed through the remainder of the Hovey Fountain Trust Fund, a donation of $500 from the Charles Emerson Hovey Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a city appropriation of $2,000, a gift of $2,000 from Muriel Howells, and substantial gifts from friends.

The fountain is removed from its setting and stored during the winter, and often the end of the trident is removed by caretakers because of a history of theft. IAS files contain a photocopy of a historical postcard showing the fountain and its marble base at its original location.

IAS files contain a related article from The Portsmouth Herald, Aug. 15, 1912; an excerpt from Ray Brighton's "The Prescott Story," New Castle, New Hampshire: Portsmouth Marine Society, c1982, pg. 91-94; and an excerpt from David Ruell's "The Public Sculpture of New Hampshire," Concord, New Hampshire: The New Hampshire Historical Society, 1980, pg. 174-177. SOS! survey notes the original dedication date as 1912 and the rededication date as August 28, 1976, but Brighton's "The Prescott Story," gives 1911 for the original dedication and July 1976 for the rededication.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Hampshire survey, 1994.

Brighton, Ray, "The Prescott Story," New Castle, NH: Portsmouth Marine Society, c1982, pg. 92.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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