Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Originate from?
Where did Large Outdoor Fountains Originate from?
A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes. Pure practicality was the original purpose of fountains. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs nearby. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be higher and closer to a water supply, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only used as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to decorate their fountains. To replicate 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 intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Urban fountains built at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
These days, fountains decorate public areas and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
A Short History of the First Public Water Features
A Short History of the First Public Water Features As originally conceived, fountains were crafted to be practical, directing water from streams or aqueducts to the residents of cities and settlements, where the water could be utilized for cooking food, washing, and drinking. A supply of water higher in elevation than the fountain was needed to pressurize the flow and send water squirting from the fountain's nozzle, a technology without equal until the later part of the 19th century.
The elegance and spectacle of fountains make them appropriate for traditional memorials. Simple in style, the 1st water fountains did not appear much like modern-day fountains. The very first known water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a receptacle for drinking water and ceremonial functions. Pure stone basins as fountains have been recovered from 2,000 B.C.. Gravity was the energy source that controlled the earliest water fountains. Positioned near reservoirs or creeks, the practical public water fountains provided the local populace with fresh drinking water. Fountains with ornamental Gods, mythological beasts, and animals began to appear in Rome in about 6 B.C., made from natural stone and bronze. The Romans had an intricate system of aqueducts that furnished the water for the numerous fountains that were placed throughout the community.