From Where Did Water Features Originate?
From Where Did Water Features Originate? Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classic Greek texts into Latin. In order to make Rome deserving of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope resolved to enhance the beauty of the city. In 1453 the Pope commissioned the reconstruction of the Aqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away. Building a mostra, a grandiose commemorative fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the arrival point of an aqueduct, was a custom revived by Nicholas V. The architect Leon Battista Alberti was commissioned by the Pope to build a wall fountain where we now find the Trevi Fountain.
Adjustments and extensions, included in the restored aqueduct, eventually supplied the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply.
Where did Fountains Originate from?
Where did Fountains Originate from? The incredible construction of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complement your home. The central purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the area. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water flow downwards or shoot high into the air. Artists thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for building it. The main components used by the Romans to build their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. The fountains found 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 exalt their positions by adding beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
The end of the nineteenth century saw the increase 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 amazing water displays.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational events.
The Public Fountains
The Public Fountains
As originally developed, water fountains were crafted to be practical, guiding water from streams or aqueducts to the citizens of cities and settlements, where the water could be utilized for cooking food, cleaning, and drinking. In the days before electricity, the spray of fountains was driven by gravity alone, commonly using an aqueduct or water supply located far away in the nearby hills. The beauty and spectacle of fountains make them ideal for historical memorials. Crude in design, the 1st water fountains didn't appear much like modern-day fountains. Simple stone basins created from nearby rock were the very first fountains, used for spiritual ceremonies and drinking water. 2,000 B.C. is when the oldest identified stone fountain basins were originally used. The jet of water appearing from small spouts was pushed by gravity, the sole power source designers had in those days. These original water fountains were designed to be functional, frequently situated along reservoirs, creeks and rivers to furnish drinking water. Beasts, Gods, and spectral figures dominated the very early ornate Roman fountains, beginning to show up in about 6 BC. The impressive aqueducts of Rome provided water to the eye-catching public fountains, most of which you can travel to today.