(; ) is a modern fountain sculpture in central Brussels, Belgium. It was commissioned by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 as a counterpoint to the city's famous . The bronze statue depicts a naked little girl with short pigtails, squatting and urinating on a blue-grey limestone 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 some long leading northwards off the restaurant-packed /. The sculpture is now protected from vandalism by iron bars.
History
Conception and inauguration
Jeanneke Pis was conceived in 1985 by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie, who had been living in the district of Brussels for several years and owned several restaurants and properties in the /. He proposed the statue as a way to restore waning interest in the alley and as a metaphorical method of "restoring equality between men and women" by creating a feminine counterpart to the city's Manneken Pis sculpture. The idea reportedly came to him one day while having breakfast, and he sketched the design on a paper tablecloth. Upon completing the sketch, Debouvrie is said to have remarked, "Now we have gender equality."
A plaque next to the statue previously described the fountain as dedicated to loyalty and noted that coins thrown into its basin symbolised tenderness and fidelity. In December 2021, this plaque was replaced with a new one, written from the statue's perspective, acknowledging that the collected coins are used annually for medical research and charitable purposes.
See also
- Het Zinneke
- List of depictions of urine in art
- Sculpture in Brussels
- History of Brussels
- Culture of Belgium