Where did Garden Water Fountains Originate from?
Where did Garden Water 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 supply drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes. 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 nineteenth, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water source, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. To illustrate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages introduced fountains to their designs. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. Seventeen and 18 century Popes sought to exalt their positions by including beautiful baroque-style fountains at the point where restored Roman aqueducts arrived into the city.
Urban fountains built at the end of the 19th century functioned only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to enable fountains to bring in clean water and allow for amazing water displays.
These days, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
Early Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains
Early Crete & The Minoans: Outdoor Fountains During archaeological excavations on the island of Crete, various types of conduits have been detected. These delivered water and extracted it, including water from waste and storms. Virtually all were created from terracotta or even rock. There were terracotta conduits, both round and rectangular as well as pathways made from the same elements. There are a couple of examples of Minoan terracotta conduits, those with a shortened cone shape and a U-shape which have not been caught in any culture since that time. Knossos Palace had an sophisticated plumbing network made of clay conduits which ran up to three meters under ground. Along with disbursing water, the clay water pipes of the Minoans were also used to collect water and store it. In order to make this conceivable, the piping had to be designed to handle: Underground Water Transportation: Initially this particular process would seem to have been designed not quite for comfort but rather to give water to chosen individuals or rituals without it being seen. Quality Water Transportation: Many scholars feel that these pipes were used to generate a separate distribution system for the palace.
The Beautiful Early Wonders by Bernini
The Beautiful Early Wonders by Bernini Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a breath taking work of art found at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. This area is still filled with Roman locals and tourists who enjoy exchanging gossip or going over the day's news. One of the city’s most stylish gathering spots are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would certainly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the earliest water fountain of the master's career. Illustrated in the fountain's design is a great vessel slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. The great 16th century flood of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the fountain according to documents from the time. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's one-and-only lengthy journey outside of Italy.
