The Source of Modern Day Fountains

The Source of Modern Day Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, reigned the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classical Greek documents into Latin. It was important for him to beautify the city of Rome to make it worthy of being known as the capital of the Christian world. 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 bidding of the Pope. The ancient Roman custom of building an imposing commemorative fountain at the point where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space formerly filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect commissioned by the Pope. Adjustments and extensions, included in the repaired aqueduct, eventually provided the Trevi Fountain and the well-known baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona with the necessary water supply.

Classic Greece: The Origins of Garden Statue Design

Classic Greece: The Origins of Garden Statue Design Most sculptors were paid by the temples to adorn the intricate columns and archways with renderings of the gods right up until the time period came to a close and countless Greeks started to think of their religion as superstitious rather than sacred, when it became more common for sculptors to represent ordinary people as well. Sometimes, a depiction of wealthy families' forefathers would be commissioned to be placed inside of huge familial tombs, and portraiture, which would be replicated by the Romans upon their conquest of Greek civilization, also became commonplace. The usage of sculpture and other art forms differed over the years of The Greek Classical period, a time of creative growth when the arts had more than one objective. Greek sculpture is perhaps fascinating to us all today because it was an avant-garde experiment in the historic world, so it doesn't make a difference whether or not its original function was religious zeal or artistic enjoyment.