Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings

Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also propel water high into the air for an extraordinary effect.

The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains Beginnings 394867471.jpg Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to supply potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move downwards or jet high into the air. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were supposed to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to laud their positions by including beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.

The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.

Contemporary fountains are used to embellish public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enrich recreational and entertainment events.

The Original Water Fountain Artists

The Original Water Fountain Artists Often serving as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, fountain designers were multi-faceted individuals, Throughout the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the creator as a creative intellect, creator and scientific specialist. He systematically documented his experiences in his now renowned notebooks, after his mind boggling fascination in the forces of nature guided him to investigate the characteristics and movement of water. Early Italian water fountain engineers altered private villa configurations into inspiring water showcases full with emblematic meaning and natural elegance by coupling creativity with hydraulic and gardening talent. The magnificence in Tivoli were provided by the humanist Pirro Ligorio, who was renowned for his skill in archeology, architecture and garden design. Well versed in humanistic topics and classic scientific readings, some other fountain designers were masterminding the phenomenal water marbles, water properties and water pranks for the numerous properties near Florence.