Where did Fountains Originate from?
Where did Fountains Originate from? The incredible architecture 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.Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to supply drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up to the late nineteenth 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 down or shoot high into the air. Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and memorialize the artist. Roman fountains often depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To show his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
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 decorative. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Embellishing city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the functions of modern-day fountains.
The Many Reasons to Include a Water Feature
The Many Reasons to Include a Water Feature The addition of a wall fountain or an outdoor garden fountain is a great way to adorn your yard or garden design. Historical fountains and water features have sparked the interest of modern-day designers as well as fountain manufacturers. As such, introducing one of these to your home design is a great way to connect it to the past. Among the many attributes of these beautiful garden water features is the water and moisture they discharge into the air which attracts birds and other wild life as well as helps to balance the ecosystem. Birds enticed by a fountain or bird bath often frighten off irksome flying invaders, for instance. Putting in a wall fountain is your best option for a little backyard because a spouting or cascading fountain takes up too much space. There are two types of fountains to choose 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 version 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 base to gather the water. Since the plumbing and masonry work is extensive to complete this type of job, you should hire a specialist to do it rather than attempt to do it alone.
The First Garden Water Fountains of History
The First Garden Water Fountains of History Towns and communities relied on practical water fountains to conduct water for preparing food, bathing, and cleaning up from nearby sources like ponds, streams, or creeks. In the years before electrical power, the spray of fountains was driven by gravity only, usually using an aqueduct or water supply located far away in the surrounding hills.
Fountains throughout history have been developed as monuments, impressing hometown citizens and tourists alike. If you saw the very first fountains, you wouldn't identify them as fountains. The 1st accepted water fountain was a natural stone basin carved that was used as a container for drinking water and ceremonial functions. Rock basins as fountains have been discovered from 2000 B.C.. The spray of water emerging from small jets was pushed by gravity, the sole power source creators had in those days. The placement of the fountains was determined by the water source, which is why you’ll commonly find them along reservoirs, canals, or streams. Animals, Gods, and Spiritual figures dominated the early ornate Roman fountains, starting to appear in about 6 B.C.. Water for the open fountains of Rome arrived to the city via a elaborate system of water aqueducts.
Large Garden Fountains: An Ideal Decor Accessory to Find Serenity
Large Garden Fountains: An Ideal Decor Accessory to Find Serenity You can find peace and tranquility by just having water in your garden. The trickling sounds coming from your fountain will be helpful in masking any bothersome sounds in your surroundings. Consider this the spot where can you go to relax and become one with nature. Bodies of water such as seas, oceans and rivers are commonly used in water therapies, as they are considered therapeutic. If you want a celestial place to go to relax your body and mind, get yourself a pond or water fountain.The Beginnings of Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains
The Beginnings 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 texts into Latin. In order to make Rome worthy of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope decided to embellish the beauty of the city. Starting in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent repair at the behest of the Pope. The ancient Roman tradition of building an awe-inspiring commemorative fountain at the location where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The present-day site of the Trevi Fountain was previously occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and constructed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. The aqueduct he had refurbished included modifications and extensions which eventually allowed it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Water Features
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Water Features There are countless famous water features in Rome’s city center.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the best sculptors and artists of the 17th century designed, conceptualized and produced virtually all of them. Marks of his life's work are apparent all through the roads of Rome because, in addition to his abilities as a water feature designer, he was also a city architect. Eventually travelling to Rome to totally reveal their artwork, primarily in the form of public water features, Bernini’s father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, guided his young son. An exceptional workman, Bernin earned encouragement and the patronage of popes and well known artists. His sculpture was initially his claim to popularity. Most notably in the Vatican, he used a base of expertise in ancient Greek architecture and melded it flawlessly with Roman marble. Though many artists impacted his artistic endeavors, Michelangelo affected him the most.
Aqueducts: The Answer to Rome's Water Problems
Aqueducts: The Answer to Rome's Water Problems Prior to 273, when the first elevated aqueduct, Aqua Anio Vetus, was established in Rome, residents who resided on hills had to journey further down to gather their water from natural sources. When aqueducts or springs weren’t easily accessible, people living at raised elevations turned to water taken from underground or rainwater, which was made available by wells and cisterns. To provide water to Pincian Hill in the early 16th century, they utilized the emerging method of redirecting the stream from the Acqua Vergine aqueduct’s underground network.
Through its initial building and construction, pozzi (or manholes) were positioned at set intervals along the aqueduct’s channel. During the some nine years he possessed the property, from 1543 to 1552, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi employed these manholes to take water from the channel in containers, though they were actually designed for the function of maintaining and servicing the aqueduct. He didn’t get sufficient water from the cistern that he had built on his property to obtain rainwater. By using an opening to the aqueduct that flowed under his property, he was set to satisfy his water wants.