Bernini's Public Fountains
Bernini's Public Fountains
In Rome’s city center, there are many celebrated water features. One of the most distinguished sculptors and artists of the 17th century, virtually all of them were planned, conceptualized and constructed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Also a city architect, he had skills as a water feature designer, and remnants of his life's work are obvious throughout the avenues of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. The juvenile Bernini was an exemplary employee and earned compliments and patronage of significant artists as well as popes. His sculpture was initially his claim to fame. Working gracefully with Roman marble, he used a base of knowledge in the ancient Greek architecture, most especially in the Vatican. Though he was influenced by many, Michelangelo had the most serious impact on him, both personally and professionally.
The Dissemination of Outdoor Fountain Design Technology
The Dissemination of Outdoor Fountain Design Technology Instrumental to the development of scientific technology were the printed papers and illustrated books of the time. They were also the main method of transmitting practical hydraulic ideas and fountain design suggestions throughout Europe. In the late 1500's, a French fountain architect (whose name has been lost) was the internationally recognized hydraulics innovator.
With imperial mandates in Brussels, London and Germany, he began his career in Italy, developing expertise in garden design and grottoes with incorporated and imaginative water hydraulics. The book, “The Principles of Moving Forces,” written near the end of his life in France, turned out to be the definitive writing on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Replacing key hydraulic findings of classical antiquity, the book also details modern hydraulic technologies. The water screw, a mechanical means to move water, and invented by Archimedes, was showcased in the book. Natural light heated up the liquid in two concealed vessels next to the ornamental fountain were shown in an illustration. What occurs is the heated liquid expanded, rises and closes up the pipes heading to the water feature, and thus leading to stimulation. Concepts for pumps, water wheels, water attributes and garden ponds are also mentioned in the guide.