A mother and child gather water from a fountain in this bronze by notable French sculptor Émile Nestor Carlier. Entitled À la Fontain, the work displays an intricate level of detail and stunning patination that lends its figures a lifelike quality.

Born in Cambrai in 1849, Carlier began sculpting at an early age, joining the studio of the sculptor Lecaron in Cambrai at the age of 15. A visit to the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1867 cemented his decision to become an artist. Just two years later, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts thanks to a scholarship from his birth city. He exhibited for the first time at the Paris Salon in 1874 and became a regular contributor thereafter, earning prizes in 1879 and 1883. He also won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889. Today, his works can be found at the Musée de Valenciennes, Musée de Cambria, Musée des Beaux Arts in Arras, the City Museum of Grenoble and other public institutions.