Characteristic of Burra's works from the late nineteen-twenties,The Fountain provides a social commentary on the decadent whims of the hedonistic upper-class party set of the inter-war years in London, playfully satirising the philandering 'bright young things' who indulged in a social whirl of debauched soirées. The large central figure and her two companions baring vessels standing on a rock surrounded by a pool of water are clearly derived from a Classical or Renaissance civic fountain. However, their animation suggests that these are living figures rather than inanimate statues. The central figure in classical drapery is transformed from an idealised figure into a woman modestly trying to hide her nakedness. Meanwhile the figure to her right pours liquid lasciviously from her phallic vessel.