Where did Large Garden Fountains Come From?

Large Garden Fountains Come From? 51667869.jpg

Where did Large Garden Fountains Come From? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.

Pure practicality was the original role of fountains. Inhabitants of urban areas, townships and small towns used them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains needed to be connected to nearby aqueduct or spring. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move down or shoot high into the air. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and honor the designer responsible for creating it. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were intended to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.

Since indoor plumbing became the standard 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 ornamental. The creation of special water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.

Nowadays, fountains adorn public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.

Outdoor Garden Fountains Lost to History

Outdoor Garden Fountains Lost to History As initially conceived, fountains were crafted to be functional, directing water from creeks or reservoirs to the inhabitants of towns and villages, where the water could be utilized for cooking food, cleaning, and drinking. A supply of water higher in elevation than the fountain was necessary to pressurize the movement and send water spraying from the fountain's nozzle, a technology without equal until the late nineteenth century. Fountains throughout history have been crafted as memorials, impressing hometown citizens and visitors alike. The common fountains of today bear little similarity to the very first water fountains. Simple stone basins sculpted from nearby stone were the first fountains, used for religious functions and drinking water. 2,000 BC is when the oldest identified stone fountain basins were actually used. The very first civilizations that used fountains relied on gravity to drive water through spigots. Drinking water was provided by public fountains, long before fountains became elaborate public statues, as pretty as they are functional. The Romans began building elaborate fountains in 6 B.C., most of which were bronze or natural stone masks of wildlife and mythological heroes. Water for the open fountains of Rome was delivered to the city via a complicated system of water aqueducts.