Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings The amazing or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, in addition to providing drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose.
Inhabitants of urban areas, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains had to be linked to nearby aqueduct or spring. Used until the 19th century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. Throughout the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create mini depictions of the gardens of paradise. To show his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were extolled with baroque style fountains built to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
Since indoor plumbing became the standard of the day for clean, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
These days, fountains adorn public spaces and are used to honor individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
The Godfather Of Roman Fountains
The Godfather Of Roman Fountains
There are countless famous water fountains in Rome’s city center. Practically all of them were planned, architected and built by one of the finest sculptors and designers of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His expertise as a water fountain developer and also as a city designer, are visible throughout the roads of Rome. A famous Florentine sculptor, Bernini's father guided his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome to fully exhibit their artwork, mainly in the form of public water features and water features. An outstanding workman, Bernin received encouragement and the patronage of popes and important artists. At the start he was recognized for his sculptural expertise. An authority in classic Greek engineering, he used this knowledge as a foundation and melded it seamlessly with Roman marble, most remarkably in the Vatican. Though he was influenced by many, Michelangelo had the most serious impact on him, both personally and professionally.
The Origins of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains
The Origins of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of old classical Greek documents into Latin. It was important for him to embellish the city of Rome to make it worthy of being called the capital of the Christian world. In 1453 the Pope instigated the reconstruction of the Aqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct which had carried fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away. Building a mostra, an imposing celebratory 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 directed by the Pope to put up a wall fountain where we now see the Trevi Fountain. The aqueduct he had refurbished included modifications and extensions which eventually enabled it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.The Benefits of Indoor Wall Water Features
The Benefits of Indoor Wall Water Features Indoor fountains are a useful addition in hospitals and wellness clinics because they add a peaceful, tranquil essence to them. Softly cascading water lulls people into a state of meditation. The sounds produced by indoor fountains are also thought to increase the pace of rehabilitation. A number of ailments are thought to get better with their use, as such they are suggested by physicians and mental health therapists. PTSD patients as well as those suffering from severe sleeplessness are thought to feel better after hearing the soothing, gentle trickle of water.
An indoor wall water element is believed to produce an overall feeling of wellness and security according to countless studies. The existence of water in our environment is vital to the existence of our species and our planet.
Based on the philosophy of feng-shui, water is believed to have life-altering powers and be one of the two basic components contributing to the existence of our species. We need to harmonize our interior surroundings to attain balance and serenity according to the ancient art of feng-shui. We should have the element of water somewhere in our living area. Putting a fountain in front of your home or near your entrance is ideal.
Whatever you choose, whether a mounted waterfall, a stand-alone water element, or a customized fountain, you can rest assured that your brand new water wall will be advantageous to you and your loved ones. Based on the results of many research studies, people who have a fountain in a central room are said to be more content, satisfied, and carefree than those who do not have one.
Your Outdoor Living Area: The Perfect Place for a Garden Fountain
Your Outdoor Living Area: The Perfect Place for a Garden Fountain A great way to enhance the appeal of your outdoor living area is to add a wall fountain or an exterior garden fountain to your landscaping or garden design. Any number of current designers and fountain craftsmen have found ideas in the fountains and water features of the past. Therefore, in order to link your home to previous times, include one these in your decor.
In addition to the wonderful attributes of garden fountains, they also produce water and moisture which goes into the air, thereby, drawing in birds as well as other creatures and harmonizing the environment. Birds enticed by a fountain or bird bath often frighten off irksome flying invaders, for instance. Putting in a wall water feature is your best solution for a little patio area because a spouting or cascading fountain takes up too much space. There are two types of fountains to pick from including the freestanding model with a flat back and an attached basin set up against a fence or a wall in your yard, or the wall-mounted, self-contained variety which is suspended directly on a wall. Adding a fountain to an existent wall requires that you include a fountain mask as well as a basin at the bottom to collect the water. Be sure to employ a professional for this type of job since it is better not to do it yourself due to the intricate plumbing and masonry work required.
Early Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains
Early Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains During archaeological digs on the island of Crete, a variety of varieties of conduits have been uncovered. These furnished water and removed it, including water from waste and deluges. Stone and clay were the elements of choice for these channels.
There were terracotta pipes, both round and rectangular as well as pathways made from the same elements. These incorporated cone-like and U-shaped clay pipes which were unique to the Minoans. Terracotta pipelines were utilized to administer water at Knossos Palace, running up to three meters below the floor surfaces. These Minoan conduits were additionally used for gathering and storing water, not just distribution. These terracotta pipes were used to perform: Below ground Water Transportation: At first this technique seems to have been created not for convenience but to supply water for chosen people or rituals without it being noticed. Quality Water Transportation: There’s also proof which indicates the pipelines being used to feed fountains separately of the local technique.
The Impact of the Norman Conquest on Anglo Saxon Gardens
The Impact of the Norman Conquest on Anglo Saxon Gardens The Anglo-Saxon way of life was dramatically changed by the arrival of the Normans in the later eleventh century. The Normans were much better than the Anglo-Saxons at architecture and horticulture when they came into power.
But home life, household architecture, and decoration were out of the question until the Normans taken over the general population. Because of this, castles were cruder constructions than monasteries: Monasteries were usually significant stone buildings set in the biggest and most fecund valleys, while castles were built on windy crests where their residents devoted time and space to projects for offense and defense. Gardening, a quiet occupation, was impracticable in these fruitless fortifications. Berkeley Castle, potentially the most uncorrupted style of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture, still exists now. It is said that the keep was created during William the Conqueror's time. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling under the walls, an immense terrace surrounds the building. One of these terraces, a charming bowling green, is covered grass and flanked by an old yew hedge trimmed into the form of crude battlements.