Contemporary Garden Decor: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots
Contemporary Garden Decor: Outdoor Fountains and their Roots The amazing or decorative effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as delivering drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property. The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to provide drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move downwards or jet high into the air. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. The main materials used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were extolled with baroque style fountains constructed to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational gatherings.
Builders of the First Fountains
Builders of the First Fountains Frequently working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and discerning scholars, all in one, fountain designers were multi-faceted individuals from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century. Exemplifying the Renaissance skilled artist as a inspiring master, Leonardo da Vinci worked as an innovator and scientific guru.
The forces of nature guided him to explore the properties and motion of water, and due to his fascination, he carefully recorded his ideas in his now renowned notebooks. Transforming private villa settings into innovative water displays full of symbolic meaning and natural beauty, early Italian water fountain designers combined imagination with hydraulic and horticultural knowledge. Known for his virtuosity in archeology, design and garden creations, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, delivered the vision behind the magnificence in Tivoli. Well versed in humanist subject areas as well as classic technical readings, some other water feature makers were masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water attributes and water antics for the countless mansions around Florence.