"For me, the magic center of Rio de Janeiro is the Botanical Garden. But I have to say that this magic place holds a tragic event: two lovers are apart from each other. Actually, they are there, the young Eco and Narciso, but even more far away from each other than they were in life.
As everybody knows, Eco was desperately in love with Narciso, who was crazy in love about himself. Eco died of love. The only thing that remained from the young beautiful Eco was her voice, the echo. Well, the great "carioca" (from Rio de Janeiro) sculptor Mestre Valentim (1750-1813) eternalized the moment Eco still has hope to have her beloved Narciso. The statues used to be in the Marrecas Fountain in front of the Passeio Público, downtown Rio de Janeiro.
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The Fountain was a majestic stone arch with bronze ducks in the middle with the statues of Eco and Narciso on each side. Each one has its own water bowl. Eco looked to Narciso from the top of her pedestal and Narciso only stared at his own face in the water bowl. It didn't work, Narciso. Mestre Valentim did what he could on the beautiful fountain.
Well, at the end of the last century the fountain was destroyed with sledge-hammer, because Barbonos Street (Evaristo da Veiga Street) had to be enlarged. Fortunately, the director of the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro at the time, Barbosa Rodrigues, took the two statues (by the way, they were the first ones melted in Brazil). Nevertheless, because of some evil reason, they are now one kilometer apart!
The Garden ows the city of Rio de Janeiro the reconstruction of the old fountain in a magic space. All you have to do is follow the drawings Magalhães Corrêa did in the 20's based on Valentim's work. How about asking people for money and buying stone to make Eco's hope eternal?
Antônio Callado
Jornal do Brasil - 10/02/90
Today the two copies of the statues got a special place that ressembles the old Marrecas Fountain. The original ones are in Valentim Memorial. Eco and Narciso are together at last and now all the visitors of the Botanical Garden can admire the legend that Mestre Valentim told us in the Marrecas Fountain.
From
the right to the left, Narciso and Eco - Photo: Luiz Machado
