The Genesis Of Outdoor Fountains
The Genesis Of Outdoor Fountains 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 a noteworthy effect.Pure practicality was the original purpose of fountains. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water supply, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were an optimal source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and memorialize the artist. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to decorate their fountains. Muslims and Moorish garden designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller versions of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts entered the city of Rome
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 decorative. The creation of special water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.
Nowadays, fountains adorn public spaces and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
The Original Water Feature Manufacturers
The Original Water Feature Manufacturers Multi-talented individuals, fountain artists from the 16th to the late 18th century typically served as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci as a creative genius, inventor and scientific virtuoso exemplified this Renaissance master. With his immense fascination concerning the forces of nature, he investigated the qualities and movement of water and also methodically documented his observations in his now much celebrated notebooks. Remodeling private villa configurations into imaginative water displays full of symbolic interpretation and natural beauty, early Italian fountain creators fused curiosity with hydraulic and horticultural knowledge. Known for his virtuosity in archeology, design and garden design, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, offered the vision behind the magnificence in Tivoli. Well versed in humanist subject areas and classic technical readings, some other water fountain creators were masterminding the phenomenal water marbles, water functions and water pranks for the numerous properties near Florence.Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest
Anglo Saxon Landscapes During the Norman Conquest Anglo-Saxons encountered great adjustments to their day-to-day lives in the latter half of the eleventh century due to the accession of the Normans. The skill of the Normans exceeded the Anglo-Saxons' in architecture and farming at the time of the conquest. But there was no time for home life, domesticated architecture, and decoration until the Normans had conquered the whole realm. Monasteries and castles served separate functions, so while monasteries were large stone structures built in only the most productive, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the residents focused on understanding offensive and defensive tactics. Gardening, a quiet occupation, was impracticable in these unproductive fortifications. The best example of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture existent today is Berkeley Castle. It is said that the keep was developed during William the Conqueror's time. A massive terrace serves as a deterrent to invaders who would attempt to mine the walls of the building. A scenic bowling green, covered in grass and bordered by battlements cut out of an ancient yew hedge, makes one of the terraces.